A.J. McKee is a 13-0 fighter who has impressed in each of his outings, and all 13 of those fights haven taken place inside of a Bellator cage. So how many wins is enough to earn the 23-year-old A.J. McKee an opportunity at Bellator’s featherweight championship? On the 14th, A.J. McKee picked up his latest victory, stopping Daniel Crawford in the very first round at Bellator 212, and he believes the time is now for him to challenge Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Bellator President Scott Coker certainly isn’t ruling that out (via MMAjunkie):
“He’s a kid that we identified has tremendous talent, and I think that the last 12, 13 fights, he’s shown that he’s got that capability,” Coker told reporters following Bellator 212. “And he’s getting at that elite level now. Now, he’s getting to the point where he can fight anybody.
“So we’re going to sit down, talk to his dad (and trainer Antonio McKee) and see what they want to do. But I don’t think a title shot is out of the question for him, because I think he’s right there.”
The only criticism of A.J. McKee has been the lack of competition McKee has faced. Scott Coker quickly brushed this argument aside:
“Listen, you’ve got to go out there, and you’ve got to do it,” Coker said. “And that’s what I would say to A.J. It’s like, ‘Look, you can have your shot, but you’ve got to go out there and do it.’ ‘Pitbull’ is a killer. That’s why he’s been a champ for such a long time.
“He’s had a couple losses, too, but he’s been the guy, and he’s been dominating that division since I’ve been here at Bellator this last four years. So, he’s no joke and when A.J. fights him I think he’ll have his hands full. I think it will be a war.”
Do you believe A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire is the fight to make right now?
