“The Mercenary” is headed to San Diego this June.
AJ McKee (24-2), the aforementioned “Mercenary,” is set to take on Salamat Isbulaev (10-0) in the main event of PFL San Diego on June 27, 2026.
News of the event and headliner was announced by PFL officials in a press release issued Thursday. No other match-ups have been revealed for the card, which takes place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA.
McKee, a former featherweight champ in Bellator who started his pro MMA run a perfect 18-0, will look to build on back-to-back victories over Akhmed Magomedov and Adam Borics. The bout will be contested at featherweight, where McKee returned last year after a brief stint at lightweight that ended with a split decision loss to Paul “Big News’ Hughes.
Once one of Bellator’s best and brightest, McKee holds notable wins over former Bellator double-champ Patricio Pitbull, Clay Collard, Sidney Outlaw, UFC alum Spike Carlyle, ex-Bellator champ Darrion Caldwell, ex-Bellator champ Pat Curran, and others. He defeated Pitbull to win both the Bellator featherweight title and the division’s one million dollar grand prix in 2021.
Russia’s Isbulaev is a perfect 10-0, and won his debut in the PFL earlier this year, stopping Jesus Pinedo with elbows. With a lengthy amateur record including an IMMAF tournament win, Isbulaev has been a standout, though his record is not without criticism: his most recent bout prior to joining the PFL was flagged by record keeper’s at Tapology for legitimacy issues, noting the fight was not “hard-fought to international standards.”
It feels safe to assume that there’ll be no easy night against McKee come June.
