A.J. McKee set his sights on Patricio Freire on Day 1.
The build was slow and steady, but July 31 at Bellator 263, McKee (17-0 MMA, 17-0 BMMA) will finally have his crack at the long-standing Bellator featherweight champion Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA). The 145-pound grand prix tournament started with 16 fighters and now two remain.
Freire has the same 3-0 tournament record as him, but McKee thinks he was matched against the easiest possible opponent available – a sentiment his coach and father Antonio McKee echoed at a Wednesday news conference.
“Range has a lot to do with a fight and understanding movement and engaging that range,” Antonio McKee told MMA Junkie. “(Freire has) been fighting the same way for quite some time. I don’t think you can change it in eight weeks. I don’t think you could change it in 10 weeks. I don’t think you can change it in two months.
“We’ve been training for this since day one. We have a very unique style that he hasn’t seen before. And he’s been doing it on and off. And I just think it’s just going to be too overwhelming. And he’s got to close the distance. And what do we worry about? Do you want to wrestle? We’re not worried about wrestling. He’ll struggle no matter where this fight is. He won’t be able to relax.”
The elder McKee also made it clear his biggest concern surrounding the fight is drug testing. While he didn’t verbatim accuse Freire of banned substance use, McKee hinted he’s skeptical about Freire’s physique at 33.
“As far as speed and power, the only thing we’re really concerned about is making sure that USADA steps in and makes sure these fighters do drug tests,” McKee said. “Because, you know, a fighter of his age, and I’m not accusing him of anything, but I look at pictures of him in the past, some of the pictures of him now. And I’m a 51-year-old man. And you see this sh*t? I’m jacked up and this is all-natural hard work. But let me tell you something, to maintain that type of muscle, genetically, it’s a lot harder for others versus people of color. Not to bring color into it, but genetically it’s a little different. So I’m just looking forward to USADA just making sure we get those good tests and everything’s great. We’re going to pass all the tests.”
Bellator president Scott Coker later clarified that the testing will be overseen by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), not necessarily “USADA” as Antonio stated. But there will be drug testing, nonetheless.
As for the stylistic breakdown, younger McKee agreed with his dad. They have Freire broken down to a science over the years. Their credit is Freire’s detriment. In McKee’s eyes, Freire long ignored his build – and thus missed out on early preparation opportunities.
“That’s what I’ve looked forward to for four or five years,” McKee said. “You go to my interviews five years ago. I’m calling his name. ‘A.J.? Who’s A.J.?’ You know exactly who the f*ck A.J. is. Don’t sit here and play like you got amnesia dawg. You know exactly who I am and you know exactly what I want and exactly what I’m coming to take.”
A.J., Antonio McKee explain why they think Patricio ‘Pitbull’ is the easiest matchup in Bellator
