AJ McKee feels he’s the best Bellator MMA fighter ever, has similar aspirations in PFL, but is also keen on snagging the Rizin crown too. ‘The Mercenary’ is on the heels of his PFL San Diego main event win that saw him put the first blemish on the pro MMA record of Salamat Isbulaev.
At the post-event press conference, with video footage provided by Home of Fight, McKee was asked about his keenness to clash with another unbeaten fighter in RFF featherweight kingpin, Razhabali Shaydullaev. There is a bit of a precedent set with fighting in Japan, as McKee earned a victory on the Bellator vs. Rizin card from years back, and PFL has expressed an interest in co-promoting.
When asked what his temperature would be on facing Shaydullaev, another unbeaten fighter but one who happens to hold some notable hardware, AJ McKee said,
“Let’s do it. I’m all about unifying belts. I’m all about testing the best of the best. Japan is one of my favorite places to fight from the Pride days as a kid. You know what I mean? They put on some of the most; I love that rule set, too. Just being able to soccer kick somebody. It’s just barbaric. It’s like that true modern gladiator warrior-type fight. Those are the best fights to me. That’s the type of style of fighting I like. Obviously the more technical points and it’s cool, but just there’s something about that, through damage wins the fight.”
“You know what I mean? Damage wins fight, output wins fight. Japan’s fan base is amazing, dude. It’s one of the most surreal crowds in the world that I’ve ever fought in front of. There’s nothing like it. Only thing that matches that is fighting in front of your home crowd. That’s literally the only thing. But even that is different because you go for a submission, they applaud. You escape the submission, they applaud. They appreciate all dynamics of the sport. You know what I mean? The craft that goes into mixed martial arts.”
AJ McKee’s only focus is on “being the best in the world”
Further delving into his aspirations to become the best fighter to ever step into the Smart Cage, and if he foresees a title shot coming next for him in the Professional Fighters League post-PFL San Diego, AJ McKee stated,
“Well it’s really up to the organization. You know what I mean? At the end of the day I’m the mercenary. You call me when you need a job done. I’ve got my focus on one thing and one thing only and that’s being the best in the world. What comes along the lines of that is being a champion. So that’s where I keep my focus on and that’s what I continue to call out for and until we get there, until they feel that I’m ready to be there, I’m going to just continue to do what I do best and that’s kickass and take names.”
