A.J. McKee understands that to truly become a champion, you must defend the title.
McKee will do just that this Friday night at Bellator 277 vs. Patricio Pitbull. The bout headlines the Showtime card.
In July, McKee earned a technical submission win in the first round over Pitbull. That won him not only the belt, but the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix.
“I’d say there’s a bit more pressure because obviously in the first fight, that was our first exchange, we didn’t get to see much in that fight,” McKee said. “Everybody is like ‘well maybe he just got caught.’ No – it went just the way it was supposed to go. So, this second one, it’s going to be hard to triumph that, but yeah, man I’m just going to go in there and do what I do best. That’s the key.”
“Solidifying myself as the best 145 pounder in the world. To do it in such a fashion two times in a row, back-to-back. Even if he has eight months to train for it, it’s not going to make a difference. I got a job to do, man. I’m hungry. I got goals, ambitions, life goals that I’ve set for myself.”
At 18-0, McKee has long been deemed one of the top prospects in the sport. He ran through Darrion Caldwell, Derek Campos and Georgi Karakhanyan to reach the grand prix final.
“I’m looking forward to this fight,” McKee said. “He’s been the man since I first stepped in this cage so hats off to him, but as I’ve constantly said, it’s a new era- a new wave. And waves… they come with some power.”
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