AJ McKee (18-, 13 finishes), the Bellator featherweight winner, will operate it back again from ex-champ Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (32-5, 23 finishes) in Bellator 277’s most important occasion on Friday night from SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif. The unbeaten next-generation fighter connected for some Q&A about Zoom with Scott Fontana for the Article Struggle Interview.
Q: You just turned 27 on April 7. How did you celebrate?
A: I bought to try to eat a fruit cake, a significant ol’ fruitcake. … Edible arrangement. I apologize.
Q: How has lifestyle changed for you because successful the featherweight grand prix?
A: Honestly, not a great deal. Gameplan’s still the very same. Life’s still the similar. I bought to take pleasure in a tiny bit of snowboarding. I acquired to go see the IndyCar races. … I’m gonna be an Indy racer, dude (laughs).
Q: Is that something you have working experience with?
A: Well, relies upon what you say is encounter. … I have touched some substantial speeds. Really large speeds (laughs). So I’m looking forward to stepping in an avenue where I can do it lawfully and in a harmless, managed natural environment.
Q: You instructed The Publish prior to the grand prix remaining very last yr that you experienced your eyes on a Porsche 911 GTS RS as a take care of for your self if you gained the $1 million prize. Did you obtain it?
A: Nah. I ain’t producing that a lot bread nevertheless. Which is a half-million greenback auto. Hopefully, inside the near long term, I can proceed to showcase my capabilities, keep that ‘O’ (zero in the decline column), and retain those people O’s on the test.
Q: Why did you want an rapid rematch from Pitbull, who’s really accomplished but whom you conquer promptly in July?
A: I required it for the 155-pound title so I could be champ-champ. That’s anything I’ve spoken on for several many years, before Conor [McGregor] did it in advance of anybody genuinely did it. I said I was gonna be a champ-champ. Then all these men arrive along and they stop up becoming champ-champ. So for me I’m searching forward to getting champ-champ. And even although this fight’s at 145 lbs, [in] the McKee family members [and] the [Team] Bodyshop custom, in get to be a champion, you have to conquer a winner. And Patricky “Pitbull” (Patricio’s brother who won the vacant Bellator light-weight title past year) has not defeat a winner. Consequently, to me, he is not [the] 155-pound winner. So for [Patricio] Pitbull (who vacated the light-weight title) likely into this rematch, I see it as I’m combating him for the 155-pound title.
Q: Does it indicate anything at all to you to be headlining the event over the light heavyweight grand prix final amongst Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson?
A: Undoubtedly. I feel it is respectable. It provides me the regard I truly feel I ought to have, becoming undefeated, staying the champ, being the star of Bellator, staying undefeated
Q: In your brain, is the up coming transfer a battle versus Patricky Pitbull?
A: Undoubtedly. I don’t know. We’ll see what Bellator needs. We’ll see what occurs contractually. There’s all variety of factors that are type of on the table suitable now that we gotta speak about and go by. So for me, I got two belts presently. I acquired just one from the event, 1 from the [145]-pound division, so I’m strolling into this battle with equally belts to enable them know I’m champ-champ.
Q: In which do you hold your belts?
A: Normally, they’re sitting on my sofa.
Q: Are you and your team actively negotiating with Bellator on a new contract?
A: I come to feel, with my talent established, my history, accolades, starting to be a champ, and then obviously securing a million pounds while turning into a champ, there’s no ‘O’ on my history, so there ought to be no O’s dropping from my test. That is just how I sense. It is an opinion. But, at the close of the day, the proof is in the pudding. We ended up making an attempt to occur up with figures could not arrive to an comprehending, so forth. So at the minute, it is [a] championship clause [I’m fighting under]. Regardless [of] income and so forth, I just truly appreciated a struggle, and which is variety of been my difficulty is exercise, not becoming able to combat as a lot as I want. I used to be able to battle three, four times a calendar year contractually. Which is what my agreement suggests. I’m wanting forward to getting 3, four fights in a 12 months. When we started negotiating and speaking, I was like, ‘Look, enable me struggle [in] December I want to struggle [in] December.’ And then went [to] January, and then it went to February, and then it went to March, and now we’re into April. So with it becoming in April, we’re four months in, and we didn’t come to an comprehension or an arrangement. So following this struggle, I feel the moment yet again, it is placing the icing on the cake, showing Bellator, ‘Hey, I’m not right here to perform online games. I’m right here to cash in checks, go on my legacy as a McKee.’
Q: Do you assume you will get the chance to fight a few periods this year?
A: I would imagine so because, even if we do not arrive to an agreement on the agreement, I owe a few fights — championship clause. And in buy to examination free of charge company, all those 3 fights have to be performed or, whatever fights they do have performed, I’m a absolutely free agent. So with that, I’m rather certain they’ll get those a few fights in, regardless. We’re in April I’m gonna go complete Pitbull, and ideally, I get again in there in another month or two, and we can sit down and get some numbers tightened in before then. If not, you men know the strategy, I’m gonna combat in which I can battle and carry on to be the most effective that I can be.
Q: Some regard you as the best male fighter exterior the UFC. When you listen to points like that, what do you imagine?
A: It’s neat. I take pleasure in it, but I’m seeking to be the major fighter in the entire world, period of time.
Q: Do you recall your very first practical experience looking at MMA?
A: I bear in mind likely to Tapout shows when I was a kid. Tapout was a outfits enterprise, but at the exact same time, they place on MMA exhibits back again in the day. … I was a tiny kid, possibly like 5.
Q: You can combat any individual who has at any time lived. Who do you pick?
A: Floyd [Mayweather Jr.]
Q: Standard walkaround pounds between fights?
A: I’ve touched 185 [pounds] before. But typical walkaround pounds: 165, 170ish.
Q: Normal pounds on battle evening?
A: 165.
Q: Who in MMA do you most admire?
A: My pops [father Antonio McKee].
Q: What is the coolest system in fight sporting activities?
A: Spinning heel kick to the leg as a excursion.
Q: Is there a great MMA movie?
A: I just watched the one with [Halle Berry], “Bruised.” That was a pretty neat motion picture.
Q: Beloved motion picture?
A: “[The] Matrix.”
Q: Favorite song?
A: Lil Baby’s the vibe right now.
Q: Favorite video clip recreation?
A: “Call of Responsibility.”
Q: What is a perfect day for you that doesn’t entail battling?
A: It is not a perfect day then.
Q: What do you do to get away?
A: I get in my motor vehicle and go generate genuinely fast (laughs). I would say that. I go paintballing. I like to wrench, also I like to function on my automobile, so that’s enjoyable. I would say paintballing. I’m an adrenaline junkie.
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