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AJ McKee has been one of the few talents closing the gap between the UFC and Bellator. Holding a record of 18-0, 'Mercenary' destroyed his competition during his rise to become the featherweight champion.
Last time out, McKee beat Patricio Freire in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix to win $1 million and the title. Eight months later, the Brazilian gets a chance for redemption in a rematch against 'Mercenary' at Bellator 277 on April 15.
Watch AJ McKee submit Patricio Freire in the first round below:
At 27, the sky is the limit for McKee. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'Mercenary' was asked about his future being potentially outside of Bellator. He had this to say:
"It's always been a dream of mine and a goal of mine to own the UFC title.... Owning a UFC belt one day is gonna happen. It's inevitable. It's an achievement and accolade I would love to have under my belt."
Watch AJ McKee discuss his future after Bellator below:
McKee is excessively confident going into Bellator 277, but he can't underestimate 'Pitbull'. The former two-division champion has fought the best featherweights in Bellator history and beat most of them. After losing to 'Mercenary' with a first-round submission, the Brazilian will surely do whatever it takes to win the rematch.
AJ McKee wants Patricio's brother after Bellator 277
While McKee discussed the transition to the UFC, his plans with Bellator go beyond the rematch with Freire. Patricio's brother, Patricky Pitbull, is also a Bellator fighter who holds the lightweight championship. As tensions have escalated, Patricky finds himself getting into altercations with 'Mercenary.'
Watch the altercation between AJ McKee and Patricky below:
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, McKee planned out his future by saying:
"He [Patricio] released the belt, allowing his brother to fight for the 155-pound title. He's gonna lose to me one last time and then beat his brother up to make it a family affair."
McKee continued to discuss his aspirations to become a two-division champion. 'Mercenary' cuts a good amount of weight to get to 145 pounds, so a move to 155 pounds makes sense. Also, not many people would argue that Patricky is more talented than Patricio.
McKee is slowly becoming a superstar in the MMA world. The 27-year-old still has plenty of time to complete his Bellator aspirations and then conquer the UFC featherweight division. For arguably the first time, Bellator has a homegrown superstar who could take over the UFC.
