A.J. McKee likely was going to head into his Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinal fight less than 100 percent.
McKee (16-0 MMA), who underwent knee surgery in January, was scheduled to face Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 244 on June 6 before the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the fight.
And though he had every intention of making it to the fight, the extra time off will allow him more recovery time before he heads into his rebooked fight with Caldwell.
“For me, it’s good to have a nice little break and I’m able to go through this knee surgery and kind of bounce back,” McKee told MMA Junkie. “It’s not pressured time, versus before cramming it into June 6. It’s like, all right, are you going to be recovered? Right now, I’d technically be cutting weight, starting to really dial-in on the diet, and just get everything right.
“So with everything being postponed, it’s cool. I can’t wait to get back in there and show the MMA world who A.J. McKee is. Everyone has kind of downsized my career and then, ‘Oh, who’s he fought?’ It don’t matter. At the end of the day, I’m undefeated. I’m going to keep kicking ass, taking names and knocking people out.”
The Undefeated McKee has stormed through the grand prix with back-to-back finishes over Georgi Karakhanyan and Derek Campos and is one fight away from making it to the final.
With the other two matchups in the quarterfinal bracket yet to be determined, it gives McKee even more time to heal considering the fate of the quarterfinalists would have to be determined first before Bellator proceeds with the semifinal matchups.
“For me, it’s getting back to 100 percent and staying on course,” McKee said. “For me, I’m going to fight regardless. That’s just part of me. I’m going to fight regardless and make sure I put on a great show. So the more time, the better for me. So it’s definitely a blessing, and it’s not a blessing for everyone but for me – it’s just staying to that strict schedule and just grinding.”
Bellator's A.J. McKee views extra time off as blessing for knee to fully heal
