Bellator MMA Re-signs #3 Pound-for-pound Talent Aj Mckee

Los Angeles — BELLATOR MMA at present introduced the re-signing of No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound competitor, No. 8-ranked light-weight contender, and former BELLATOR Featherweight Champion, AJ “Mercenary” McKee (20-1) to an unique, multi-year, multi-fight, contract.

“Our high precedence has at all times been to domesticate expertise from the bottom up, and with AJ [McKee] I can proudly say we have now witnessed this younger man blossom right into a bonafide famous person within the BELLATOR cage,” mentioned President Scott Coker. “It’s additionally our precedence to retain high expertise, and with AJ getting into the prime of his profession, it was vital to verify he continued representing the BELLATOR model, very similar to he did just lately in Japan, for the foreseeable future. I’m wanting ahead to AJ’s subsequent problem, an look in our 2023 BELLATOR Light-weight World Grand Prix, which showcases the perfect 155-pounders on this planet.”

McKee, 27, returns to BELLATOR as certainly one of its most interesting homegrown abilities and a veritable face of the promotion. The previous BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix match champion most just lately represented the group in opposition to reigning RIZIN Combating Federation champion Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza in an exciting unanimous choice victory to headline BELLATOR’s profitable sweep on the historic New Yr’s Eve BELLATOR vs. RIZIN occasion on the Saitama Tremendous Enviornment in Japan. McKee will now be featured as one of many eight entrants to the 2023 BELLATOR Light-weight World Grand Prix, the place he’ll vie for a championship in a second weight class and a second one-million-dollar grand prize.

The son of MMA pioneer Antonio McKee, McKee has established himself on this planet of MMA with a stellar 20-1 file in his 21 fights with the promotion, McKee boasts a blistering 65% stoppage fee replete with six knockouts and 7 submission victories. Included on McKee’s illustrious résumé are victories over Patricio Pitbull, de Souza, Darrion Caldwell, Pat Curran, and Georgi Karakhanyan.

He holds BELLATOR data for many consecutive victories (18), submission wins at featherweight (7), and stoppages at featherweight (13). He’s tied for first in promotional file books for complete finishes (13) and second for featherweight knockouts (6). In 2019, ESPN named McKee MMA’s high fighter beneath 25 and he adopted that up in 2020 with the consensus “Submission of the Yr” for his first-round neck crank, higher recognized to many because the “McKee-o-tine” of Darrion Caldwellat BELLATOR 253.

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Government Author, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a ardour for Fight Sports activities and in addition a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s additionally a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.