AJ McKee isn’t just Bellator’s hottest property. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, the freshly crowned featherweight champion is the greatest pound for pound fighter alive.
Following his calm demolition of Pitbull at Bellator 263, when McKee took out the Bellator featherweight champ with a brutal standing guillotine, Coker hasn’t been shy in singing his new champion’s praises. If you ask Scott Coker, AJ isn’t just good enough to stand and fight against the UFC’s best. He is the best.
“Who’s going to beat this kid?” – Scott Coker Says AJ McKee is No. 1 Pound for Pound Fighter
“I think he’s earned that right. ‘Pitbull’ is a legend here at Bellator and in mixed martial arts, and he was ranked(No. 1 pound-for-pound. I take my hat off to A.J. because he took care of business.
He told me the week of the fight, ‘This is going to be an easy fight, Coker.’ I go, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘No, it’s going to be an easy fight – trust me.
He was really confident, and he went out and took care of business. To me, he walks the talk, and until somebody dethrones that kid, I think he’s the greatest fighter at 145, and pound-for-pound the best fighter in our company.”
Pitbull, before AJ came along and choked his way to the top, was Bellator’s no.1 pound for pound fighter. It stands to reason that the man who beat him gets to claim that right for himself.
Coker continued his praise for McKee, defying anyone to fight him. “I do [think he’s the best in the world].
I mean, who’s going to beat him? Who’s going to beat this kid? I mean, he’s that good.
When I first saw him fight years ago, I saw something in this kid. I saw potential in him. He had a little swagger, the gift of gab. He had that ‘it’ factor, and he’s developed into a big star.
The way he fought ‘Pitbull,’ it’s very rare you see such a dominant performance in such a big fight like that. It was his night.”
However, over at the UFC, there’s more than featherweight greats for McKee to contend with if he truly is the most dangerous man alive. The likes of Kamaru Usman and Jon Jones immediately spring to mind, albeit in higher weight divisions. McKee may boast an 18-0 record, but that record comes entirely in the Bellator promotion. As far as many fight fans are concerned, the UFC is still MMA’s premier promotion.
Perhaps if Scott Coker’s dream of a UFC-Bellator cross-promotional superfight comes true, we’ll have an answer. Do you think AJ McKee is the no.1 pound for pound fighter alive? Let us know in the comments.
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