Tag: AJ McKee

Coker Not Optimistic About McKee/Freire Trilogy Despite “Close” Rematch

Despite the tight nature of the featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator President Scott Coker doesn’t believe a trilogy fight is “guaranteed.” At Bellator 277 last Friday, two 145-pound titans collided for the second time in a year. Last July, McKee secured a seat at the global featherweight table when…

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Despite the tight nature of the featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator President Scott Coker doesn’t believe a trilogy fight is “guaranteed.”

At Bellator 277 last Friday, two 145-pound titans collided for the second time in a year. Last July, McKee secured a seat at the global featherweight table when he became the first man to defeat “Pitbull” since 2016. After five defenses, the Brazilian’s reign came to a close thanks to a guillotine choke at Bellator 263.

Off the back of his championship and Grand Prix glory, and having extended his perfect record to 18-0, McKee called out the top featherweights in the UFC and claimed to be the world’s best at 145 pounds.

While he had a chance to further support that sentiment by adding another blemish to Freire’s impressive résumé, McKee fell short in their rematch, losing a tight decision on the judges’ scorecards. In doing so, the 27-year-old had the 0 on his record removed.

Following the event, promotional kingpin Coker gave his take on what’s since been a highly-debated contest and result. Like many, the South Korean-born American labeled the Bellator 277 main event as “very close.”

“Listen, the judges saw it the way they saw it and he’s the new champ,” Coker said. “As far as I’m concerned, he deserves it. I think it was a very close fight. It was a technical fight. And it’s not my job to judge – it’s for the judges and the state athletic commission to work that out, and that’s what happened. That’s what you saw. You saw the judges call the fight the way they did. I did think it was very close. I was sitting around some of my friends and said, ‘What did you think?’ Half of them said A.J., half of them said ‘Pitbull.’ It was very close.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Coker Unsure What’s Next For McKee & Freire

With their rivalry sitting level at one win apiece, it would seem a trilogy bout is the logical next step, especially given how close the rematch was. However, with McKee expressing a desire to transition to lightweight, it doesn’t appear to be that simple.

Coker shared that sentiment post-fight, claiming that while he’d love to a book a third date between the Brazilian and the American, it’s far from guaranteed.

With that in mind, the 59-year-old named 17-1 featherweight Ádám Borics, who’s riding a four-fight win streak in the Bellator cage, as a potential challenger for the first defense of Freire’s third reign on the 145-pound throne.

“I’m going to go back and watch this fight and talk to my team,” Coker said. “But as much as we’d love to see a rematch, let’s see how that goes. I can’t really answer that question. If all parties want to do that, we might do it. But it’s not guaranteed. Adam Borics looked great against Mads Burnell (at Bellator 276 in March) — he had a great performance. He had an amazing fight, and we’ll see.”

Would you like to see A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire share the cage for a third time?

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Jackson: Pitbull/McKee Was The Worst MMA Robbery I’ve Ever Seen

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been involved in the sport of MMA for over two full decades, and he claims he witnessed something Friday night that he never had before. At Bellator 277, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire reclaimed featherweight gold and handed A.J. McKee his first career loss in one unanimous, yet controversial split-decision victory. Just how…

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Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been involved in the sport of MMA for over two full decades, and he claims he witnessed something Friday night that he never had before.

At Bellator 277, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire reclaimed featherweight gold and handed A.J. McKee his first career loss in one unanimous, yet controversial split-decision victory. Just how controversial was it? Enough for Quinton Jackson to consider it history-making from a personal standpoint.

“From my view and my personal opinion, I think that as the worst robbery I’ve ever seen in MMA…ever,” Jackson said simply.

Jackson then called on his own personal experience as a point of reference for all-time robberies.

“I lost my belt due to a robbery, and I think this robbery was way worse than that one. And it was a unanimous decision? I’m not taking away from Pitbull. He fought a great fight. He fought a smart fight. But AJ’s a champ. You have to beat the champ to be the champ. And I just don’t feel like Pitbull did enough to beat the champion, to get the win, to get the belt. He know he didn’t win that fight.”

By deduction, it would seem that Jackson is referring to his 2008 unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin that saw “Rampage” drop the UFC light heavyweight championship.

History in the Making: Forrest Griffin defies the odds and becomes UFC Light Heavyweight Champion - MMAmania.com
Via UFC

Jackson says he could see two rounds going to Pitbull, but nevertheless, he would love to know more about those who are scoring the fights if they could award the entire fight to Freire.

“Who are these judges? What’s up with these judges?” asked Jackson. “This kid is undefeated. The kid is undefeated, and he’s the champion. And you have him lose a unanimous decision? It was the worst robbery I’ve ever seen in MMA…

“I don’t remember seeing a robbery worse than this because the kid was undefeated. That’s his legacy you talkin’ about, right? And he was the champion. And you look at the stats, the (punching) stats and the scoring stats, he outscored him on everything. It was a pretty bad robbery. You guys have to go back and watch it.”

Jackson acknowledged that he has a personal relationship with the McKee family and that he has known A.J. since he (McKee) was a child. Still, he maintains that he’s not the type of person to be biased when making such proclamations.

McKee’s reaction as the official decision was announced portrayed a fighter who felt very much wronged by the judges. However, the odds of a rematch are somewhat unlikely considering the fact that McKee has stated he would prefer to move up and compete at lightweight henceforth.

Do you think Patricio Pitbull’s victory over A.J. McKee at Bellator 277 was a robbery?

Continue Reading Jackson: Pitbull/McKee Was The Worst MMA Robbery I’ve Ever Seen at MMA News.

Patricio Freire: “If A.J. McKee wants a trilogy fight, it has to be at featherweight”, Calls out Alexander Volkanovski

Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee, Alexander VolkanovskiAfter an eight-month break from his last bout, Patricio Freire won the featherweight belt back from A.J. McKee with no plans to relinquish it again in the near future. In July 2021, Patricio Freire lost his featherweight strap to A.J. McKee by submission via a guillotine choke. This past Friday, Freire avenged his loss to […]

Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee, Alexander Volkanovski

After an eight-month break from his last bout, Patricio Freire won the featherweight belt back from A.J. McKee with no plans to relinquish it again in the near future.

In July 2021, Patricio Freire lost his featherweight strap to A.J. McKee by submission via a guillotine choke. This past Friday, Freire avenged his loss to McKee and reclaimed his championship belt via unanimous decision at Bellator 277. ‘Pitbull’ was a considerable underdog going into the fight and managed to hand McKee the first loss of his professional career.

Both fighters put on a show for the fans in a closely-contested affair that ultimately saw Freire get his hand raised. Freire scored 49-46 on one judge’s scorecard while he got a pair of 48-47 from the other two judges.

At Bellator 277 post-fight news conference, Patricio Freire said, “MMA is a tough sport. To be defeated is normal. I don’t like it. Nobody likes it. I just went home, trained harder and smarter, and came back. That’s it: Focus.”

What’s next for Patricio Freire?

With the rivalry between Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee tied at one and one, many speculated a trilogy bout will be on the cards next. McKee stated that he would only consider the third fight with Freire if it happens at lightweight since he intends to move up to that division.

Freire made his feelings clear about staying at the 145-pound division which is the only weight class he’s willing to give a shot at the title to McKee.

“He’s tough – he’s very good. But the king is here,” Freire told MMA Junkie. “The featherweight division is my division. I fought at lightweight (before) because of Michael Chandler (and our rivalry). My brother has the belt (at lightweight). I don’t care about that division. If he wants to fight me again, he has to come to featherweight. That’s it.”

While there are fighters like Adam Borics and former McKee teammate Aaron Pico for Freire to compete with at lightweight, he called for a cross-promotion match with the UFC against their featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“If Dana White has some balls, let’s put champion vs. champion. That’s my goal,” Freire said. “(But) I don’t care who’s next. I’m going to kick all their asses.”

Would you like to see Patricio Freire fight Alexander Volkanovski?

Bellator 277 Results: AJ Mckee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 

Aj MckeeLowkick MMA will be bringing you LIVE Bellator 277: AJ McKee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 results throughout the night (Fri. Apr. 15, 2022) from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA.  The main event of the night will be a rematch between two of the top featherweights in the world, Champion AJ Mckee and #1 […]

Aj Mckee

Lowkick MMA will be bringing you LIVE Bellator 277: AJ McKee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 results throughout the night (Fri. Apr. 15, 2022) from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. 

The main event of the night will be a rematch between two of the top featherweights in the world, Champion AJ Mckee and #1 ranked Patricio Pitbull. 
Ten months removed from a contest that shockingly ended in under two minutes when AJ Mckee rocked and then submitted Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 263, the rematch is set for two of the most polarizing fighters in the promotion.

Pitbull has previously held the featherweight title twice and looks eager to regain the gold he lost back in July. He also boasts an impressive seven title defenses and two Bellator tournament victories. Mckee, however, is making his own case to be one of the Bellator greats. Getting his professional start in Bellator, Mckee has accumulated an imposing professional MMA record of 18-0. 

The main event is not the only title fight on the card, as Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov takes on Corey ‘Overtime’ Anderson in the co-main event. Coined as the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix final, the winner will not only receive the Light Heavyweight Championship, but also a cash prize of 1 million dollars. 

The undercard also features a pair of interesting fights as #4 ranked Featherweight Aaron Pico takes on Bellator newcomer Adli Edwards in a 150-pound catchweight contest. Opening the card, #5 ranked Heavyweight Tim Johnson looks to slug it out with #4 ranked Linton Vassell.

Main Card (Showtime/BBC Iplayer – 7pm pt)

Featherweight World Championship – C AJ Mckee (18-0) vs. #1 Patricio Pitbull (15-5) 

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout World Grand Prix Final – C Vadim Nemkov vs. #1 Corey Anderson (16-5) 

Results: 

150-Pound Contract Weight Bout – #4 Aaron Pico (9-3) vs. Aldi Edwards (9-1) 

Results – 

Heavyweight Bout – #5 Tim Johnson (15-8) vs. #4 Linton Vassell (22-8, 1 NC) 

Results: 

Preliminary Card (Bellator Youtube/Showtime Youtube/Pluto TV – 4pm pt)

Heavyweight Bout – #7 Tyrell Fortune (11-2, 1 NC) vs. Rakim Cleveland (21-14-1) 

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout – Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-7-1) vs. Rafael Carvalho (16-6) 

Results:

140-Pound Contract Weight Bout – Gaston Bolanos (5-3) vs. Daniel Carey (7-5) 

Results: 

Welterweight Bout – #9 Kyle Crutchmer (8-1) vs. Michael Lombardo (12-2, 1NC) 

Results: 

Bantamweight Bout – Bobby Seronio III (1-0) vs. Calob Ramirez (1-1)

Results: 

Welterweight Bout – Tyson Miller (2-0) vs. Rhalan Gracie (0-3) 

Results: 

Flyweight Bout – Edwin De Los Santos (1-0) vs. Alberto Mendez (0-0,1NC) 

Results: 

Featherweight Bout – Socrates Hernandez (0-1) vs. Rogelio Luna (Pro Debut)

Results: 

Featherweight Bout – Laird Anderson (1-0) vs. JT Donaldson (4-5)

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout – Theo Haig (Pro Debut) vs. Alan Benson (1-2)

Results:

AJ McKee Brands Future UFC Title Glory As “Inevitable”

While he’s currently holding featherweight gold in Bellator, AJ McKee expects to experience similar championship glory in the UFC down the line. It’s safe to say that outside of MMA’s premier promotion, not many have developed as much stardom and fanfare as McKee. The 27-year-old, who boasts an impressive and unblemished 18-0 record, shot further…

Continue Reading AJ McKee Brands Future UFC Title Glory As “Inevitable” at MMA News.

While he’s currently holding featherweight gold in Bellator, AJ McKee expects to experience similar championship glory in the UFC down the line.

It’s safe to say that outside of MMA’s premier promotion, not many have developed as much stardom and fanfare as McKee. The 27-year-old, who boasts an impressive and unblemished 18-0 record, shot further to fame last July when he held gold for the first time.

In the main event of Bellator 263, McKee faced Patrício Pitbull in the final of the featherweight Grand Prix. At the time, the Brazilian had maintained a firm grip on the 145-pound title since 2017 and was riding a seven-fight win streak.

In emphatic fashion, “Mercenary” dropped Pitbull early in the first round before finishing the 34-year-old with a standing guillotine choke. In doing so, he secured Grand Prix and championship glory, as well $1 million in prize money.

Since ascending Bellator’s 145-pound mountain, McKee has repeatedly expressed his belief that he is the best featherweight in the world. Recently, the 27-year-old suggested he’s not impressed with his UFC counterpart Alexander Volkanovski, claiming he’d be able to dispatch the Australian inside the cage.

And despite fighting under the Bellator banner, McKee has made no secret of his desire to make his way to the Octagon in the future, where he’ll have the chance to put his money where his mouth is, perhaps versus Volkanovski.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, McKee claimed that having UFC gold wrapped his waist is not only a dream of his, but also an inevitability.

“It’s always been a dream of mine and a goal of mine to own a UFC title, just as a kid. I grew up watching Rampage as a kid in the gym,” recalled McKee. “That was the first UFC belt I ever saw, like, hands-on saw. Honestly, to hold a UFC belt one day, it’s gonna happen, it’s inevitable. It’s an achievement and accolade that I’d love to have under my belt.”

McKee also pointed towards the entrance of former three-time Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler, who earned a UFC title shot with a sole knockout victory over Dan Hooker. “Mercenary” is targeting a similar welcome party when he crosses over to the Octagon.

“Maybe I get that Chandler red-carpet treatment. Come in, beat somebody in the top three up real quick, and then go straight into a title fight, beat Volkanovski up real quick, one time for the one time.”

Given his position as arguably Bellator’s biggest star, Scott Coker likely won’t enjoy hearing of McKee’s UFC dreams. But with the titleholder’s latest comments on faltering contractual negotiations, a departure from the promotion may not be too distant.

McKee is set to return to action to defend his title for the first time this Friday at Bellator 277. Sharing the cage with him and looking to add the first defeat to the Californian’s record at the second attempt will be Pitbull.

While McKee is targeting two-division success if he gets past his rival this week, all doesn’t seem to be well between Bellator and its leading man.

Speaking to Helwani, McKee described the failed attempts made by Bellator to tie him down to a new deal. Having won $1 million last year, “Mercenary” said he won’t be happy with anything less than that sum moving forward.

Given the offers and what he’s set to earn for his rematch with Pitbull, it’s safe to say that the number in McKee’s mind is pretty far from the money Bellator are putting up for him at the moment.

“I would say (my layoff has been because of) contracts, little bit trying to figure out some pay… No, (I haven’t re-signed with Bellator). There’s been nothing signed,” confirmed McKee. “So, currently, champion’s clause, I’ve got three fights (left)… They did (try to cut a deal). Myself, I’ve already fought previously for a million dollars. I feel I should never have to see anything under a million dollars again, especially with the achievements I accomplish. Every time I step into that cage, there’s a 0 on my record.

“For me to go backwards to anything under a million, I feel it’s not reasonable,” asserted McKee. “We were at like, 5(00,000), but it’s not appetizing to me… We’ll see. We’re getting 250(000 for this fight).”

When asked whether it’s possible he could exit the promotion after his next three fights and test the waters of free agency, McKee provided an answer that will have the ears of other promotional leaders perked.

“Possibly. If we can’t come up with the million dollars, then, yeah,” admitted McKee. “Also, that’s the thing, every time I fight, my number’s gonna double because I wanna be back-paid for the fights I haven’t been (getting a million). It’s business, bro.”

Before looking too far ahead, McKee will need to put his full focus on Pitbull. Beyond a potential victory on Friday, “Mercenary” is likely to make it a family affair by challenging for the lightweight crown of Patricky Pitbull.

Do you think AJ McKee could win a world championship in the UFC?

Continue Reading AJ McKee Brands Future UFC Title Glory As “Inevitable” at MMA News.

AJ McKee Reveals ‘Dream’ UFC Move, Requires $1 Million Fight Purse To Stay With Bellator

AJ McKeeBellator champion AJ McKee has revealed his ‘dream’ of making the move over to the UFC and testing himself against the highest level of competition out there. Ahead of McKee’s rematch with Patricio Pitbull this Saturday it was revealed AJ McKee would be leaving his profile management team over at CAA to have his father, […]

AJ McKee

Bellator champion AJ McKee has revealed his ‘dream’ of making the move over to the UFC and testing himself against the highest level of competition out there.

Ahead of McKee’s rematch with Patricio Pitbull this Saturday it was revealed AJ McKee would be leaving his profile management team over at CAA to have his father, Antonio McKee, and himself handle his representation.  

Currently sitting at 18-0 McKee is one of the most sought-after fighters in the sport and has now revealed he will only continue with Bellator if they make it worth his while financially.

AJ McKee Demands $1M Per Fight

Speaking to MMA Fighting AJ McKee revealed it’s nothing but $1 Million purses moving forward for him given what he has achieved in the sport.

“They did [try to re-sign me] I had already fought previously for a million dollars. I feel I should never have to see anything under a million dollars again, especially with the achievements I’ve accomplished. Every time I step in that cage, there’s an ‘O’ on my record.

“For me to go backwards, anything under a million, I feel it’s just not reasonable. We were at like [$500K] but it’s not appetizing to me.”

McKee secured himself a $1 Million prize after he emerged victorious from the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix in 2021. AJ McKee revealed his current contract purse is set to $250,000 and says if Bellator is unable to match the asking price he will test free agency.

“Possibly, if we can’t come up with the million dollars, then yeah [this could be it],” McKee said.

“Also that’s the thing. Every time I fight, my numbers are going to double because I want to be back paid for the fights that I haven’t. It’s business. I’ve got families to feed.

“There’s been nothing re-signed so currently championship clause, three fights [remaining],” McKee said. “It doesn’t specify specifically [how long the contract lasts] so it’s normally about six months per fight, a year and a half [left]. A year and a half but I’ve got other things going on outside of that, all kinds of other stuff.”

If McKee’s time with Bellator is ending, the undefeated fighter has already revealed what he would like to achieve if he does move on from the promotion.

“Owning a UFC belt one day, it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable,” he said. “It’s an achievement and an accolade that I would love to have under my belt. Being champ-champ there as well.

“Beat [Alexander] Volkanovski up real quick one time,” he said. “but my dream fight’s [Max] Holloway. That’s the dream fight.” (Transcribed by BloodyElbow)

It will be interesting to see where McKee ends up, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has already welcomed the opportunity to ‘school’ McKee if he does join the UFC roster.

What promotion do you think AJ McKee will sign too?