Derek Campos doesn’t think A.J. McKee is all he’s cracked up to be, and he plans on proving as much at Bellator 236.
McKee (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) has put together a run that’s turned him into one of the top rising stars in the sport. He’s undefeated through his career, and despite 15 bouts, hasn’t seen much in the way of adversity. That was especially true in his opening-round bout in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, which he won against Georgi Karakhanyan in a mere eight seconds.
Campos (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA) isn’t on board with McKee being the next big thing, though. The grizzled veteran specifically picked a matchup with McKee for the quarterfinals of the single-elimination tournament, which continues on Saturday at Bellator 236.
“Without a doubt I believe I am going to be A.J.’s biggest test,” Campos told MMA Junkie. “He’s fought a lot of guys, but who are they? The only two guys that come to mind that he’s fought are Justin Lawrence and Pat Curran. I’m going to be the guy that derails A.J.’s hype train.
“You look at the difference between the other guys he’s fought then Lawrence and Curran. Totally a night-and-day difference. Those guys are superior athletes and fighters and A.J. was able to barely get by with them. He’s got holes in his game, I see weaknesses I’m looking to capitalize on.”
Bellator 236 takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. The main card, which featured Campos vs. McKee in the co-main event, streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Campos punched his ticket to the tourney’s second round when he beat former Bellator champ Daniel Straus at Bellator 226 in September. Given the structure of the tournament, he was allowed to pick his opponent for the next round, and went with McKee.
It’s a matchup others in the field were seemingly not chomping at the bit to get, but Campos feels he has a strong path to victory.
“I want to grind him out,” Campos said. “I want to take him to deep waters, I want to put him in the most uncomfortable positions I can put him in and I want to see where his heart is. I want to break his will, I want to be the one that beats him and takes away that zero on his record.”
With Campos vs. McKee being the first fight in the second round of the tournament, the winner will likely see a sizable break waiting for the semifinals to commence. 2019 is the first time since 2013 that Campos has fought more than twice in a year, though, so he said he’s not overly concerned about a break.
“There’s potential for a bit of a layoff after this, but I will put it to good use trying to heal up and make good with my body,” Campos said. “But first I plan to go in there and handle business. People are going to count me out here and they’re going to count me out of the rest of the tournament, but that’s what I like. That’s what motivates me. I like to be the underdog and regardless, I’m going to go get that title.”
Derek Campos plans to expose A.J. McKee's flaws, derail 'hype train' at Bellator 236
