On Saturday, A.J. McKee completed his undefeated journey from prospect to contender to champion, and made his case to be considered the top featherweight in the sport.
In the main event of Bellator 263, the 26-year-old Californian needed less than two minutes to obliterate a dominant champion in Patricio Freire. A head kick and uppercut rocked the Brazilian badly, and after a premature walk-off, McKee jumped back in and applied a guillotine choke for the finish. By so doing, the “Mercenary” picked up the Bellator featherweight grand prix title as well as Freire’s regular title, and extended what is almost certainly the longest undefeated streak for a fighter within a single promotion in MMA history.