AJ McKee walks back talk of going to lightweight, wants trilogy with Patricio Pitbull
AJ McKee is hoping to fight Patricio Pitbull for the third time.
At Bellator 277, McKee suffered a decision loss to Pitbull to lose his featherweight title in a very close fight. McKee was upset with the decision and after the loss, he had said he would be moving to lightweight but after attending a recent PFL event, he has changed his tune and now says he wants the trilogy with Pitbull as he wants to get his belt back.
“I think in the heat of the moment, obviously being a little amped up, obviously not happy with the result – yeah, there was no interest for me in that moment,” McKee said after a recent PFL event (via MMAJunkie). “Even leading up after the first fight, there was no real interest. But obviously him being a champ, give him the respect he deserves, and honor him with a rematch. Now it’s my turn. I was the champ. I feel I should be honored with my rematch, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
According to AJ McKee, he says he still thinks he won the fight and after re-watching it, he is confident he won. But, the judges did not go his way so he says he learned from it and now it is time to see who is the best as they are 1-1 against one another.
“It won’t go to the judges,” McKee said. “There was a lot to learn within that (second) fight. … We know I won the fight, but I lost in a different realm. For me, it’s making the correct adjustments to come back properly and fuel the beast. This just adds fuel to the fire. That’s the next step: Just get back in there, get a date locked in, and go retrieve my title. The next fight, I think is going to look a lot like the first one. I’ve always felt you need to beat the champ. I don’t feel I was really beaten, but obviously I took an ‘L.’ 145s, I can’t leave the division on a loss, that’s for sure. (We’re) 1-1, so let’s see. Let the best man win.”
Whether or not McKee and Pitbull will have their trilogy next is uncertain but it certainly makes sense.
