Bellator lightweight AJ McKee will look to showcase his skills in Riyadh again as he takes on top PFL signee Paul Hughes this Saturday.
Now almost a year into the acquisition of Bellator by the PFL, you could argue that the fighter with the most to gain has been lightweight contender AJ “The Mercenary” McKee. Following a standout performance last year against Sidney Outlaw on the last show of the old regime, McKee was given the chance to showcase his talents on the PFL vs Bellator event earlier this year. He made the most of the opportunity, stopping 2023 PFL finalist (and now 2024 semifinalist) Clay Collard in the first round that announced him as a threat to both rosters.
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For his second fight of 2024, McKee now has the assignment of spoiling the run of top Irish prospect Paul Hughes. Hughes made significant noise earlier this year when the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion signed with the PFL after receiving interest from the UFC. Hughes made his promotional debut in his home country earlier this year to great fanfare and the fight with McKee marks a significant moment for two of the top talents in the world under 30 years old.
While Hughes’ title victory is no small feat, the vast experience behind McKee makes him the one to watch going into the event. Besides his Grand Prix victory (including the stoppage of featherweight legend Patricio “Pitbull” Freire) under his belt, he also has the experience of having traveled to the Kingdom of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia earlier this year and the process it will take to get dialed in for fight night.
“As far as getting acclimated it didn’t take much. About halfway through I realized our training time here in California is their nighttime there so there was kind of no need to get acclimated there to their time schedule, I just stayed on my time schedule. Everything worked out perfect. My hardest training is in the morning which is their nighttime which is the same time that I’ll be fighting so everything just worked out perfect.”
The bout with Hughes is another big showcase bout for McKee and is a great example of the opportunities that have been seen in 2024. It is also an important one given McKee’s status as a lightweight contender as his division has seen fights in not only the PFL regular season tournament but also in the Bellator Champions Series under the same umbrella. One could argue that the separation of talent under the different brands could lead to logistical headaches to get the fights that would propel you forward, but McKee says it’s all a favorable situation for himself.
“I don’t really see it as them splitting the rosters up. There’s a lot of things still that are in play on Bellator’s end. I just think it’s a great opportunity because guys have the opportunity to go back-and-forth between two companies that are kind of independently doing their own thing but at the same time they’re still one in unity. For me, I think it’s the best of both worlds to go showcase my skills on PFL’s platform but then again at the same time I’m able to potentially fight for Bellator’s world title. I wouldn’t say there’s really a split. I’d say it’s just a matter of doing what makes sense. That’s what Bellator is into and what PFL is into.”
While the PFL regular season has a fight coming up next month between Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov to determine a new lightweight champion for the year, McKee has his sights set on the Bellator title holder for his next bout.
“I think the fight to make is Usman [Nurmagomedov]. That’s the fight that everyone wants to see so that’s the fight that I obviously want. He’s the world champ so that the fight that I want to get into…obviously following through with the Bellator tournament that fell through. He was able to fight (Alexander) Shabliy, they were both in the finals. I caught staph before the first round so I wasn’t even able to fight in the tournament but I think leading into it that was the fight everyone wanted to see. He’s been the man since I called Patricky out and he beat Patricky for the world title. He’s been the man, he’s held the world title, so I think that’s the fight to make.”
For now, “The Mercenary” seemingly has the chance to control his piece on the ever-evolving chessboard of the PFL with a victory over Paul Hughes. With marquee bouts against Nurmagomedov and the 2024 tournament winner, McKee’s already considerable profile could grow exponentially in 2025.
AJ McKee fights Paul Hughes this Saturday on the Battle of the Giants PPV, live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
