A.J. McKee Bellator 253 Pre-Fight Conference
The Bellator featherweight grand prix continues on Thursday with Bellator 253, which takes place a Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The semifinal round of the 16-man tournament goes down in the main event as Darrion Caldwell (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) vs. A.J. McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) in the main event this matchup will determine who enters the finals for the shot at $1 million and the Bellator featherweight championship.
A.J. McKee met MyMMANews and the media in attendance to answer questions about his upcoming fight, watch above.
McKee competes in his 17th Bellator featherweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Patricio Freire (21). After stopping Georgi Karakhanyan and Derek Campos, A.J already finds himself in the grand prix semi-finals this Thursday. Freire on the other hand, competed in his quarter-final bout against Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 242 on Nov. 12, just a week before McKee competes for a spot in the final. McKee’s holds a 16-fight Bellator winning streak at featherweight is the longest active streak in the division, all of his 16 professional fights in MMA have all been inside the Bellator cage.
McKee’s eight-second knockout victory at Bellator 228 is the fourth fastest in Bellator history. His last fight came at Bellator 236, when he defeated Bellator veteran Derek Campos via a triangle armbar in the third round.
Bellator 253: Caldwell vs. McKee fight card
Main Card
- Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee
- Benson Henderson vs. Jason Jackson
- Joey Davis vs. Bobby Lee
- Keith Lee vs. Raufeon Stots
Preliminary card
- Jeremy Kennedy vs. Matt Bessette
- Kevin Ferguson Jr. vs. Kaheem Murray
- Gaston Bolanos vs. Johnny Soto
- Jaleel Willis vs. Mark Lemminger
- Jay Jay Wilson vs. Sergio de Bari
- Sullivan Cauley vs. Mark Glover
