A.J. McKee doesn’t care who he faces if he gets to the Bellator featherweight grand prix final, but there’s one man on the opposite side of the draw who he has a score to settle with.
Speaking to MMA Junkie from his home, McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) explained that he would relish the chance to face Emmanuel Sanchez in the tournament finale.
“I already had a dream I choked out Emmanuel Sanchez and, last time we came face to face, I had him shaking in his boots a little bit,” he explained.
“He got a little mouthy and I had to let him know like, ‘Yo, dog. We’re not in the cage right now. I’m gonna bite your face, I’m gonna try and hurt you. Have the respect outside of the cage, especially if you’re not even fighting, you’re at someone else’s fight who’s fighting.”
McKee revealed he had experienced two separate altercations with Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) at Bellator events in the past and, on both occasions, he said Sanchez lost his cool.
McKee, meanwhile, insisted he maintained his own composure, confident that he’ll hold the upper hand if the pair ever meet inside the Bellator cage in the future.
It’s those run-ins that have left a bad taste in McKee’s mouth, and “The Mercenary” said he’d like to teach the Bellator veteran a little respect by facing him inside the cage in the final of the 145-pound grand prix.
“There’s a respect level that needs to be maintained as professional athletes, and a lot of guys don’t have that,” he explained. “So, me coming up the way I grew up in the gym, with the fighters and stuff, if they don’t have that respect, they’ll get put in their place real quick. So I’d definitely like to get my hands on Emmanuel Sanchez, just to show him how it is one time.”
McKee is set to face Darrion Caldwell in the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix, while Sanchez is slated to face Germany’s Daniel Weichel in their quarterfinal bout. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has put the Bellator schedule on hold, there are not yet dates scheduled for the fights.
If Sanchez is successful, then captures the title from the winner of the bout between Patricio Freire and Pedro Carvalho in the semis, he could find himself facing McKee in the final itself.
For McKee, that’s the ideal scenario for him to finish his tournament.
“I’m not much of a talker, but when that time comes, he knows what’s to come, and I’m gonna put a beating on him,” he said.
Bellator's A.J. McKee reveals beef with Emmanuel Sanchez, says he'd 'put a beating on him'
