Bellator 236 results: A.J. McKee taps Derek Campos with wild submission, advances to semifinals

Derek Campos showed off his trademark toughness, but it wasn’t enough to stop A.J. McKee from picking up another impressive win on Saturday at Bellator 236.

McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) became the first to advance to the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix when he pulled off a slick armbar that forced Campos (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) to tap out at 1:08 of the third round.

The bout was the Bellator 236 co-main event at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

McKee followed through with what he told MMA Junkie prior to fight week, opening with a Jorge Masvidal-style flying knee. He missed, then attacked with a wild spinning kick attempt. That was seemingly Campos’ moment to capitalize as he jumped into top position, but McKee quickly got up and took control, putting Campos on his back and threatening with submission attempts and ground-and-pound for the rest of the round.

In the early seconds of Round 2, McKee clipped Campos with a heavy right hand that resulted in a knockdown. McKee dove into the guard trying to finish the fight, but Campos survived the assault and got back to his feet. Campos tagged McKee during a wild exchange then pressed forward and got into top position. Campos got his first advantageous position of the fight, controlling McKee from on top for several minutes. His top work wasn’t particularly effective, though, because McKee was able to lock him down and avoid taking damage for the duration of the round.

McKee came out aggressive in the third round, attacking with heavy kicks and body punches before changing levels into a takedown. He controlled from top before a scramble that appeared to lead to Campos on top, but McKee transitioned into a super sneaky armbar that elicited the tap from Campos.

“He’s a tough opponent,” McKee said in his post-fight interview with John McCarthy. “This is just the beginning. Welcome to A.J. jiu-jitsu 101. It’s just the beginning of what’s to come. Took a little damage and still here ready to go and ready for the next round and ready for my belt.”

With the win, McKee picked up his 16th consecutive Bellator win, extending his record for longest winning streak in company history.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 236 results include:

• A.J. McKee def. Derek Campos via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 1:08
• Jason Jackson def. Kiichi Kunimoto via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Juliana Velasquez def. Bruna Ellen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-26)
• Raufeon Stots def. Cheyden Leiloha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Zach Zane def. Nainoa Dung via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Swayne Lunasco def. Kaylan Gorospe via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:29
• Ben Wilhelm def. Kealii Kanekoa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:24
• Dustin Barca def. Brandon Pieper via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:58
• Kai Kamaka III def. Spencer Higa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Keoni Diggs def. Scotty Hao via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:23