"He almost knocked me out and almost finished me on the same night" - Patricio 'Pitbull' congratulates A.J. McKee after Bellator 263 

Bellator 263 saw A.J. McKee submit Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire to win the Featherweight World Grand Prix and have gold strapped to his waist. McKee also took home one million dollars for winning the tournament.

Patricio 'Pitbull' was all praise for 'The Mercenary' at the post-fight press conference. The former featherweight champion said:

"In this night he was... he was great. He kick[ed] my head and he almost knocked me out and he almost finished me in the same night, so he was good, congratulations... now he's the champion."

.@PatricioPitbull gives respect to @ajmckee101 for his win at #Bellator263:"He was great … Congratulations. He is the champion."Watch full video: https://t.co/1b0ipk0aPj pic.twitter.com/uokkQtwpva

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 1, 2021

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press conference here:

After knocking 'Pitbull' down with a huge head kick that landed flush, McKee landed a couple of punches to a curled-up Freire. 'The Mercenary' then caught the Brazilian in a standing guillotine choke. Although Freire didn't tap, he seemed to be going limp as his right hand relaxed and dropped down.

Referee Mike Beltran noticed 'Pitbull' began to lose consciousness and quickly stepped in to stop the fight.

Watch the stoppage here:

The Million Dollar Submission! 💰@AJMcKee101 stops @PatricioPitbull to become the Bellator Featherweight World Champion. WOW!A historic moment at @TheForum. #Bellator263 pic.twitter.com/fg75zEKrta

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021

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What is next for Patricio 'Pitbull' after losing the featherweight title to A.J. Mckee?

Patricio 'Pitbull' lost the featherweight title and the Grand Prix to A.J. McKee but still holds the Bellator lightweight title. Even though he fell short against the undefeated A.J. McKee, he will be looking to cement his lightweight legacy by defending his title, which he won against Michael Chandler at Bellator 221.

Patricky Freire is the older brother of Patricio Freire, and both brothers use the moniker 'Pitbull'. Patricky is No.1 in the Bellator lightweight rankings, which means he's the ideal contender to fight the champion and his younger brother Patricio 'Pitbull'.

In the past, Patricky 'Pitbull' has openly expressed the idea of fighting his younger brother for the lightweight title.

Watch his take on whether he'd like to face his younger sibling Patricio 'Pitbull' in the video below:

That said, A.J. McKee has every intention of repeating Conor McGregor's UFC feat and fighting for the lightweight championship to become champ-champ.

Do you think Bellator MMA will give their new superstar a shot at lightweight gold immediately after winning the featherweight belt? Tell us in the comments!