Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee has a few options in front of him. Fresh off his headlining performance at Bellator vs Rizin on New Year’s Eve, McKee could either return to featherweight in an attempt to recapture the belt from Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, or he could charge at the lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov. In a recent interview with MMAJunkie, McKee weighed up the options.
“Ego says ‘Pitbull,’ but business says tournament. So I’d have to say tournament. I’ve already put the offer on the table for Bellator with Patricio ‘Pitbull.’ I told Patricio I’d love to fight him, but it’s not something I want to continuously reach for. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I would obviously would love to fight him again. That would be ideal for his legacy, for my legacy.
McKee Weighing Up Pitbull Trilogy Against Lightweight Future
It’s a game: 1 and 1. Everyone wants to see who the best is, especially for myself moving up a division. I don’t mind. There’s another title. There’s other people. This is new land to conquer for me, and that’s what I’m happy about.”
McKee is most likely to compete in Bellator’s lightweight tournament next. Not least among the considerations for his future weight class is the issue of cutting weight, which is getting harder as McKee gets older. He feels far more comfortable making the cut at 155 pounds, but knows he could feasibly make the featherweight limit of 145 pounds if need be, at least for a little longer.
“The weight cuts are good. I’m cutting 10 [pounds] the week of, so the weight cut wasn’t bad. It wasn’t bad – 155 is nice.
I’m getting used to moving around with the big boys, I’m training with all the 170 pounders, so I feel strong. I go move with them, and then I go train with the little guys to keep up with their speed, and it keeps me right between the two. It’s nice. I like 155, but I’ll go back down to 145. That’s always a possibility.”
McKee has only registered two lightweight bouts, including his Bellator vs Rizin performance, but has impressed audiences enormously in both appearances. On the other hand, it was “Pitbull” Freire who dethroned McKee as Bellator featherweight champion in April 2022, and McKee may well be looking for revenge.
Do you think we’ll ever see A.J. McKee at featherweight again, or is his future in the 155-pound division? Let us know in the comments.
