If you don’t follow MMA’s regional scene, you might know Rhys McKee primarily from his role as a victim in Khamzat Chimaev’s rise to stardom. However, prior to being steamrolled by Chimaev in what was McKee’s UFC debut, Northern Ireland’s McKee (10-3-1) was a key part of both BAMMA and later Cage Warriors, two well-known promotions out of the U.K.
So it will be interesting to see what McKee will do in his sophomore outing. That will come on November 14, against Alex Morono. The welterweight fight will transpire at an event expected to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
MMA Junkie was first to report the booking.
McKee had won three straight prior to his octagon debut against Chimaev. Notably, he spent a large chunk of his career fighting at lightweight prior to late 2019. The Morono fight, however, will take place at 170lbs.
Morono (17-6, 1NC) had a three fight win streak snapped by Khaos Williams earlier this year at UFC 247. Heading into that fight, he had secured victories against Max Griffin, Zak Ottow, and Song Kenan. That was the best run of Morono’s UFC tenure, which began in 2016.
The UFC’s November 14 date currently includes the following bouts:
Louis Smolka vs. Jose Quinonez
Rhys McKee vs. Alex Morono
Kanako Murata vs. Livinha Souza
Kay Hansen vs. Cory McKenna
Julian Marquez vs. Saparbek Safarov
Miranda Granger vs. Ashley Yoder
Gabriel Benitez vs. Justin Jaynes
Antonio Arroyo vs. Andreas Michailidis
Jeff Molina vs. Zarrukh Adashev
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Roque Martinez
