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AJ McKee Jr. is looking forward to using soccer kicks and knees to a grounded opponent against Roberto de Souza.
On December 31, Bellator and RIZIN will join forces for a cross-promotion spectacle in Saitama, Japan. In the co-main event, McKee Jr. is taking on a Brazilian submission specialist in ‘Satoshi'. During an interview with LowKick MMA, ‘Mercenary’ had this to say about fighting in Japan:
“I’m mostly intrigued and excited for the rules. You know, soccer kicks and the knees to the grounded opponent. Since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of it. Just watching the PRIDE days… You know, just as well as I do, every street fight ends with a good soccer kick to the face. I’m looking forward to just being a bit barbaric out there and utilizing some skills the mercenary doesn’t normally get to use.”
McKee Jr. vs. De Souza is joined by four other officially announced fights - Patricio Pitbull vs. Kleber Koike Erbst in the main event, Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim, Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo, and Koji Takeda vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov. Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN FF will be available on Showtime for North American viewers.
Watch AJ McKee Jr. discuss his upcoming fight against Roberto de Souza below:
AJ McKee Jr. discusses what he expects from Roberto de Souza
Most MMA fans aren’t aware of AJ McKee Jr’s opponent on December 31. Roberto de Souza is a BJJ specialist who has won his last four fights by submission. During the same interview with Lowkick MMA, ‘Mercenary’ had this to say when asked about what he expects from his Brazilian opponent:
“As Uncle Rampage [Jackson] says it, I think he’s gonna be trying to hump my leg. I think he’s gonna try to wrestle a little bit. I think we’re gonna come out on the feet, throw some strikes. I believe once I land a couple strikes, he’s gonna see that, ok, this isn’t where he wants to be. I have a feeling that’s when he’s gonna wrestle a little bit and get me to the ground.”
McKee Jr. has beaten better competition, but De Souza can’t be overlooked. ‘Satoshi,’ the RIZIN lightweight champion, holds a 14-1 record with recent wins against Tofiq Musayev and Johnny Case. Only time will tell which fighter gets to end 2022 on a positive note.
