AJ McKee plopped down into his post-fight press conference seat Friday night, popped the cork of a champagne bottle on the dais and took a swig.
He was about an hour removed from suffering his first pro defeat — albeit a controversial unanimous decision — to lose the featherweight championship to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at Bellator 277 inside the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. There, he questioned judges’ scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.
“Where were they at? I don’t know,” McKee told a pool of reporters about the scoring, especially the first judge who awarded four rounds to Pitbull.
“I got my own personal opinions.”
He added moments later that he thought that he had done enough to retain the title.
“I thought I was ahead,” McKee said.
“I know for sure, fourth and fifth rounds were mine, in the bag. The first round I would have given myself as well. That’s three.”
DAZN News saw it that way, giving the first, fourth and fifth rounds to McKee for a 48-47 tally in his favor.
With the debatable verdict comes a planned march forward into superstardom thrown askew at least for the time being. McKee entered the bout fighting under Bellator’s championship clause with the Pitbull rematch as the first of three bouts left on his contract.
Having lost the title, McKee wasn’t sure what to make about his immediate future with the company but does know that he wants to compete at the 155-pound lightweight division if he continues to fight under the promotion. Coincidentally, that’s where Pitbull’s older brother, Patricky Pitbull, reigns as champion.
“I’m done with 45s,” said McKee, insisting he’s done competing at featherweight.
“I’ve been at 45s for years, cutting a lot of weight. It’s rough seeing me get down to 45s.”
He tacked on that fighting at 155 pounds is more appealing and would allow him to get “faster, stronger, bigger” and “unleash that beast monster style.”
He wasn’t able to do quite that Friday night against Pitbull. A quick start was tempered by the Brazilian veteran who slowed the pace with leg kicks and even dropped the 27-year-old with a right hand in the third round. The same frame had Pitbull cinching in a deep guillotine choke, which McKee managed to pop his head out of.
That being said, McKee freed up his hands enough to pepper Pitbull with stinging shots in the fourth and secured two of his key four takedowns in the fifth and final round to arguably win the fight.
Pitbull would state during his own post-fight press conference that a possible trilogy fight would have to be at featherweight, although earlier McKee made it clear that he thinks Patricky is the better Pitbull brother anyway.
While we await McKee’s next move, the "Mercenary” holds firm to his feeling that he should remain undefeated.
“Being the best in the world, knowing I’m the best in the world, I’ve always felt you gotta beat the champ. I don’t think he did that,” he said.
Then again, he conceded that his first pro loss was an instant learning lesson, too.
“My dad always told me ‘Don’t leave it to the judges,’” he offered.
“At the end of the day, the ball’s in my court, my mistake, my mess up.”
Heartbreak for Corey Anderson who seemed to have upper hand over Vadim Nemkov in co-main event
AJ McKee wasn’t the only fighter at Bellator 277 that felt he had suffered a bad break.
Corey Anderson slammed a water bottle onto the canvas inside the cage upon hearing the official announcement following his co-main event against Vadim Nemkov.
Anderson’s fight against the champion in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix was declared a no-contest after an accidental clash of heads late in the third round. Dashed was Anderson's chance of becoming a world champ for the first time in his pro MMA career. The $1 million check that came with it also slipped from his grasp.
What a tough break for Anderson who had the upper hand and seemed to be gaining momentum at the time the bout was stopped.
After a tactical Nemkov won the opening round, Anderson quickly turned the tide by grabbing hold of the champ's leg and scoring a big takedown in the second frame. He’d produce another takedown in the third. Each takedown had Anderson freeing up his hands from Nemkov’s neutralization techniques enough to tag the champ with stinging shots and elbows.
Still, an accidental clash of heads stopped the bout moments later. If the fight had gone into the fourth and ended via an accidental headbutt, scores up to that point would have been tabulated.
Anderson could take solace in knowing that Bellator president Scott Coker stated during the post-fight press conference that he’s going to aim to secure a rematch between the two for the light heavyweight title and $1 million during the late summer.