Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion, Rhys McKee, has named Niko Price as a desired opponent for his potential return to the UFC.
Rhys McKee (12-4-1) is set for a Cage Warriors title unification bout with Jimmy Wallhead on April 29th at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Recently, McKee took the time to sit down with Alex Lerman of LowKick MMA to discuss the upcoming fight, name a potential opponent for his UFC return, and explain why he is such a threat to any opponent.
Rhys McKee on Title Fight vs. Jimmy Wallhead
McKee previously had an unfavorable two-fight stint in the UFC where he faced Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Morono, both ending in defeats. Rhys returned to Cage Warriors to hone his skills and immediately got back to winning ways.
Currently on a two-fight win streak in the promotion, McKee is slated for a title unification bout with Jimmy Wallhead coming up in April at Cage Warriors 153. When asked about his analysis for the upcoming fight, McKee had this to say:
“He’s someone that I expect a solid, prepared version of himself. He is a bit older but with that comes a huge threat and huge experience. How I see myself winning this fight is just overrunning everything he does… I’ll have answers to everything he poses. I just think I’m the new breed and the next generation of martial artists, I think I have too many skills in every area, and I think it’ll just be a real changing of the guard fight.”
McKee Names Niko Price as Desired Opponent for UFC Return
Having fought in the UFC before, McKee is no stranger to the octagon and bright lights.
Upon a continuation of his win streak in Cage Warriors, Rhys believes that a return to the UFC is next in line. When asked about an opponent he would like to see for his first fight back in the promotion, McKee stated:
“I’d probably fight whoever they offered, but I would like maybe Niko Price someone like that would be a fun fight. Before I got released from the UFC, I saw he was looking for an opponent and I remember kind of wanting that fight. So, I feel like someone like Niko Price would be nice, but to be honest I want to go into the UFC and compete with the top 25 in the world. I don’t really want to spend much time fighting UFC debutants, not that they’re not worthy, but I’m gonna make up for lost time…”
Why Rhys is Such a Threat to Any Opponent
Over the course of the entire interview, McKee came across as supremely confident in his abilities and potential. Rhys was asked specifically what makes him a threat in that cage, to which he responded:
“I just know I can put someone’s lights out at any time in a fight. I’m one of these fighters, as we’ve seen in my last fight, that can be down two rounds, it can all be going bad, you know I can find that shot from anywhere any position. From bottom, from top, standing, on the back foot, on the front foot, I’m a threat everywhere. I know my power and my striking is too much for anyone…”
Rhys McKee takes on Jimmy Wallhead to retain his Cage Warriors Welterweight title at Cage Warriors 153 in Dublin on April 29th. A UFC future is on the horizon with a win in this fight, and McKee certainly looks to make up for lost time from his first stint in the promotion.
Watch the Full Interview with Rhys McKee below: