Former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee will attempt to recapture the 145-pound title, from Pitbull. Instead, Bellator 286 will see him taking on Spike Carlyle to make his lightweight debut, with McKee explaining why he’s not interested in a Pitbull rubber match to MMAFighting.
“No rematch. I wasn’t offered a rematch, so to put my body through, put my family through everything to get to 145 pounds when I’ve literally walked through the entire division — I was looking at my belt the other day and I was like, ‘I’ve got five names on this belt that I’ve scratched out that I’ve personally taken out.’
AJ McKee Moving to Lightweight, Blasts “Pitbull”
But to me, I honestly wasn’t too intrigued with the rematch in the first place, but obviously I don’t turn down fights. Bring me a fight and I’ll take the fight. Getting the second fight with Pitbull, I didn’t have too much motivation, and the decision, it was a little unsettling — for not just myself, my teammates, but I think the rest of the world that knows about mixed martial arts.
He didn’t beat me the first time, and it’s weird because he talks about ‘kick for kick.’ If you look at the kick for kick he’s talking about, I blocked his kick with my forearm and he tasted my shin with his mouth. I don’t know, it’s real weird.
He says he wants the fight, but the fight was never offered, and now he’s fighting Borics. Hats off to Borics, but if he says he wants to fight, bro, let’s fight. Win or lose, I’ll come back down to 145 pounds one last time to whoop his ass because it’s an unsettling loss. My first loss, but it was the fire I needed under my butt.” McKee claims that he was simply “bored” at featherweight, and wants to face new blood at lightweight.
“I get bored, bro. I starched you in less than two minutes. So I’m supposed to be excited to go fight you again? Nah, bro. In my defense, even on my worst day he couldn’t beat me, and that was literally my worst day. That was a fight where I was in there and I didn’t want to be in there — just keep him away, stay long, and pick him apart. There was no need to try and finish him. Now being the champ, I say, ‘Hey, let’s see what you have to bring to the table. I want to see you bring the fight to me.’
Do you think AJ McKee can become a champion again at 155 pounds? Let us know in the comments.
