AJ McKee wants to make a flashy statement to match the luster that the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions carries into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
And the former Bellator featherweight world champion has pinpointed just how to do that against Clay Collard — by exposing him at his own fight game.
“Throwing me an opponent like Clay Collard gives me an opportunity to go out there and really showcase my skills. At 155 pounds, I haven’t been able to really stand up with anybody and showcase my boxing skills or striking skills,” McKee began telling DAZN in an exclusive Zoom session.
“So with an opponent like Clay Collard, we know he’s going to come forward, we know he’s going to fight and it’s going to get a little nitty gritty. I know at the end of the day, I have my ace in the hole which is the wrestling and jui-jitsu, but I’m the type of guy that I like to go in there and beat people at their own game."
Added McKee: “Coming full circle with Collard, he’s a boxer and striker. This is where I’m looking forward to just going out there and exposing him at his game. If things don’t go as planned, I still have that ace in the hole.”
McKee enters the cage with a 21-1 record, though many MMA fans and critics alike believe that he did more than enough to earn a win over Patricio Pitbull in an April 2022 bout that he controversially lost by unanimous decision.
So why would McKee want to risk catering his style to Collard (24-11)?
“Big risk, big reward,” McKee said. “I feel that my skillset is so well rounded that wherever the fight may go, I could kind of play my opponent’s game and adapt in that moment to where my strong suit is. If you’re a striker, I know I got the wrestling, I know I got the jiu-jitsu. So it’s being able to self-reflect in the moment and implement what needs to be done in that fight.
“[Collard] is game, he’s a fighter,” McKee tacked on, “and like I said, I want to go beat him at his own game.”
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