Bellator 263: AJ McKee on seeing fear in Patricio Pitbull's eyes, what it'd mean to win featherweight title

Not many fighters can say 17 bouts into their career that they have competed for one promotion. 

A.J. McKee is one of those competitors as he battles featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire for the 145-pound title on Saturday at Bellator 263 from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., in the finals of the featherweight grand prix.

McKee is 17-0 with 12 of those wins coming inside the distance (Six Knockouts/TKO and Six Submissions). The 26-year-old is one of the most dynamic fighters in the sport and is days away from possibly winning his first major world championship.

Heading into his title clash, McKee talked with DAZN about seeing fear in Pitbull's eyes, Pitbull avoiding him, and what it'd mean to capture the Bellator featherweight belt.

(Editor's note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

The significance of Bellator 263

It's literally 145 (pounds), (the) pound-for-pound, best athlete in the world. Patricio has accolades. Both of our achievements together, whether it's inside or outside of Bellator, there's not too many people that can come close to the things that we're doing. I feel like that's what sets us kind of aside from everyone else. We're neck and neck for the most finishes in Bellator. Having 17 fights in that organization and been constantly calling his name. He's been the reigning champ since I first stepped in that cage. So I honestly feel like this is the biggest fight of the year. What fight honestly can you say is bigger than this fight? This is one of Bellator’s biggest fights ever.

On whether Pitbull's been avoiding him since Featherweight Grand Prix Selection Show

Definitely. The selection was a big eye-opener not for myself but also for exposing him in himself. I wanted to get the third or fourth pick, but something in my heart when I drew number one, it reminded me, 'You are number one. This is your tournament. This is for your taking. You go out there. You get it. You put the stamp on your career and introduce the world to who you are.' So when he switched and put Darrion Caldwell on my side and so forth, he put all the young guys off (and) anything that he has an issue with. Wrestlers, Darrion Caldwell. He doesn't want to see Darrion Caldwell because he knows Darrion Caldwell can take him down and hold you. Adam Borics, young up and comer. Not good on the ground, not good wrestling, but striking wise, would give Patricio a problem. He put him already on my side. After that, he switched (Pedro) Carvalho from Darrion Caldwell to Carvalho to our side and left Derek Campos over there. Derek Campos, he's a nitty-gritty fighter.

Honestly, I feel like that was one of my hardest fights in the tournament. Why? Because at the end of the day, he's going to leave it all in that cage. Realizing that having him in the second round was my biggest test. I feel like for me in that fight, and going through knee surgery after that fight, tear my lateral collateral (ligament) completely (and) recovering from that, then fighting Darrion Caldwell and finishing him as well. At that point, it just showed me like, ‘You're prepared. You're ready.’ I've recovered through it all. He's avoided me for 17 fights. I've been calling his name since the very beginning—my second, third, fourth, fifth fight. I knew I was ready. I wanted it. My father didn't think I was ready. Well, he knew I was ready, but he wanted it to be an easy fight. He didn't want it to be a fight where I go out there, and I fight, and I fight, and I fight, and he's sitting on the edge of his chair saying, ‘Oh shit.’ He wants to fight where it's going to be where I go out there, I have fun, I wait for the opportunity to arise for him to expose himself, and when he does, I capitalize off that opportunity.

His gauge from Pitbull during in-cage staredown after Bellator 255

The scary part is I saw fear. Any man that fears you is a problem. When I saw that, I wouldn't say it gave me chills, but it gave me a sense of direction of, ‘Okay, he knows he's gonna have his hands full with this fight.’ I don't know what he feels he's going to bring to the table as a game plan, but he knows he's gonna have a fight on his hands. So me sensing that fear puts a different thought process in my head. I'm not a bully. I'm not an asshole. If I know I'm bigger, better, stronger, that's not what I'm gearing towards. When I say I'm faster, I'm stronger, I'm younger, I'm gearing towards like I know these are my advantages. I know he's good at what he does. I need to see what he's going to bring to the table to be able to make the adjustments properly to dismantle him of his tactics, his skill set. I saw fear, and that fear switched when I pissed him off. I pissed him off a little bit. He's trying to tell me, ‘Oh, you have to lose in order to be complete.’ Okay, that sounds like you're judging me as a man, and you are not God. Who are you to tell me who I am or what I'm capable of? That's where the word fear comes into play. He fears something. I just feel he's ready. He's ready for a way out, and I'm looking forward to giving him a way out.

Should the winner be considered the greatest fighter in the history of Bellator?

Hands down. I couldn’t agree more. At the moment, just his accolades and achievements alone, he should go down as one of the best, and I feel the best pound-for-pound. Bellator’s rankings are proper. The fact of me being right there behind him and me being ranked like sixth or seventh. It motivates me to go out there and whoop his ass even more because once again, I don't feel that if I'm fighting him, and that says that about our division and him as an athlete. We're the only two that have finished everybody in the tournament. For me, I'm just looking forward to going out there and whooping his ass one time and then hopefully two times for the two-time and becoming champ-champ myself and then really claim being not only the best fighter in Bellator but one of the best 145-pounders in the world. I don't feel anyone outside of our organization can deal with us. Not just him. He'll hold his own against anyone top five in the UFC, ONE Championship, PFL. But I'll walk through anyone and everyone, and that's the difference. That’s what I'm looking forward to being able to do is unifying these belts, and let's test our skill set against other people.

What it means to capture the Bellator featherweight title

Man, it's gonna be surreal. I'm just living up to my father's legacy. I look at my dad's poster on our wall at his house every day. He's got his world title, and then we have a hand-painted picture of myself, and there's no world title yet. So continuing the legacy of the tradition of being a champion, it's in my blood. I'm destined for this and knowing that in my heart, this is the time. This is the time to go get it and put it all on the line. Twenty-five years, 20-21 years of training from being four years old wrestling up until now. This is what I've worked for. This is the moment that I dreamed of, and this is the moment where I become a world champion.