Former Bellator MMA featherweight champ A.J. McKee returns to action this November.
McKee (20-1), now competing as a lightweight, will face Sidney Outlaw (17-5) at Bellator 301 on November 17, 2023 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed the booking to Cageside Press following an initial report by ESPN.
Outlaw returned to action in August, earning a unanimous decision over Dagestani standout Islam Mamedov. The 31-year old known as “Da Gun” had been expected to take part in Bellator’s ongoing Lightweight Grand Prix, but was yanked from the tournament before it launched after testing positive for banned substances earlier this year.
That positive drug test led to a six-month suspension for Outlaw.
McKee has won back-to-back bouts in the lightweight division, getting the better of Spike Carlyle and most recently Roberto “Satoshi” Souza as part of the Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN card last December. McKee, like Outlaw, had been expected to compete in the Lightweight Grand Prix, but injury forced him from a fight against Patricky Pitbull.
Bellator 301 is headlined by a pair of title fights, as Yaroslav Amosov defends welterweight gold against Jason Jackson, while Sergio Pettis and Patchy Mix battle it out in a bantamweight title unification bout. The full card currently breaks down as follows:
- Yaroslav Amosov (c) vs. Jason Jackson — for the Bellator MMA welterweight championship
- Sergio Pettis (c) vs. Patchy Mix (ic) — for the Bellator MMA bantamweight championship / title unification bout
- Patricky Pitbull vs. Alexandr Shabliy — Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinal
- Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello
- Daniel James vs. Ali Isaev
- Tyrell Fortune vs. Marcelo Golm
- Timur Khizriev vs. Justin Gonzales
- Mike Hamel vs. Tim Wilde
- Denise Kielholtz vs. Sumiko Inaba
- Islam Mamedov vs. Killys Mota
- A.J. McKee vs. Sidney Outlaw
