A.J. McKee has it all.
The striking from his five-foot-10 frame and 73½-inch reach comes swift yet thunderous.
His technical game and ability to lock opponents in a variety of submissions is sound.
All abilities were on display during a blazing one minute and 57 seconds last July when McKee launched a head kick at Patricio Pitbull before unleashing a barrage of stinging punches and cinching in a cranking guillotine choke to win the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix, the title and $1 million that came with it. Just like that, a star was born. Knocking on superstardom's door is next.
McKee will defend the featherweight championship in a rematch against Pitbull at Bellator 277 on Friday night at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. McKee recently revealed to Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” that the fight is the first of three bouts left on his contract with Bellator and that it would take him about a year and a half to honor that agreement.
The same conversation had McKee claiming that Bellator is paying him $250,000 for Friday night’s fight, with the Long Beach, Calif. product adding that he wants a cool $1 million per fight moving forward.
Well, to that, Bellator should read the room and take heed from how the PFL treated Kayla Harrison.
Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, had won the 2021 PFL women’s lightweight tournament in October and showed up to the Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena fight at UFC 269 in Las Vegas less than two months later.
Harrison, 31, would even entertain offers from the UFC and Bellator before ultimately deciding that staying put in the PFL is her best bet.
And here’s the key:
“I think there were a lot of contract negotiations, there were a lot of offers, many of them very lucrative,” Harrison said on ESPN SportsCenter in March shortly after re-signing with the PFL, as reported by MMAFighting.com.
“Ultimately, the PFL had the right to match any contract that I received and they stepped up in a big way and now I’m going to be staying with the PFL. I’m excited.”
Just as the PFL stepped up with Harrison, Bellator needs to do with McKee. And quickly.
He’s already on Dana White’s radar, with the UFC president telling TSN last summer that "When (McKee’s) contract's up, he'll have to call. We'll see what we can do."
Plus, McKee spent a segment of his conversation with Helwani earlier this week, saying that owning a UFC belt is “gonna happen, it’s inevitable” before adding that he wouldn’t have any problems handling featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and that he covets a “dream fight” with Max Holloway.
With the UFC on his mind so omnipresent, Bellator president Scott Coker should act fast. Tap into those Viacom reserves and match and outdo any offer that will be coming McKee’s way.
Especially if he generates another impactful victory over Pitbull, the way oddsmakers are counting on him to do, with BET MGM making him the -300 favorite. Perhaps frontload an extension offer right there and then, following the fight.
At 27-years-old, McKee is the goods and then some. If he’s successful Friday night and in style, it’s up to Bellator to feed him with quality opponents and the money “The Mercenary” deserves.
The promotion should look to the PFL as its blueprint.