Patricio Pitbull set to defend title against Adam Borics, A.J. McKee scheduled for lightweight debut
Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has his next title fight scheduled while former champion A.J. McKee will make his lightweight debut.
The highly-anticipated trilogy fight between Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee will have to be put on ice for now, as both fighters have been booked for the next fights, in two different divisions. As first was announced on CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday, reigning champion Patricio Pitbull will face Adam Borics at Bellator 286 while former champion McKee is set to make his lightweight division debut and will face Spike Carlyle. The event is set to take place on October 1, in Long Beach, California.
Just announced on @CBSSportsHQ — @BellatorMMA Featherweight champ Patricio Pitbull defends his title against Adam Borics at #Bellator286 in Long Beach, CA on October 1st on Showtime.
Former champ AJ McKee returns to his hometown to make his Lightweight debut vs. Spike Carlyle
— Tommy Tran (@TommyTranTV) August 3, 2022
Patricio Pitbull is set to begin his third title reign as Bellator MMA’s featherweight champion, after he won the title in a rematch against A.J. McKee back at Bellator 277 in April of this year. His previous two title losses have come to Daniel Straus and Benson Henderson. Before losing to McKee at Bellator 263, Pitbull rode a 7-fight winning streak, which included four finishes, three of those which came in the first round. Besides his multiple tenures as featherweight champion for Bellator MMA, Patricio Pitbull also became the promotion’s lightweight champion when he defeated Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 in 2019 and became a two-division champion.
Now set to defend his featherweight title, Pitbull will face Adam Borics who has only one loss in 19 professional fights which came to Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 238 in 2020. Borics is now currently riding a four-fight winning streak, with all coming by either unanimous or split decision.
As for the former champion A.J. McKee, a move to lightweight has long been speculated and even said he’d like any superfights to take place at 145-pounds to be for $1 million in the future, and now his divisional debut is set. He’ll take on MMA veteran Spike Carlyle who is 14-3 in his career, with two of those losses coming during his time with the UFC. Currently on a five-fight winning streak, Carlyle’s last appearance in Bellator MMA saw him pick up a third-round submission victory over Dan Moret, but a win over McKee would come as a big upset inside the division and likely find Carlyle a long-term home with Bellator MMA.
With only one lone loss in his career, McKee will look to start off his lightweight division debut with a statement against Carlyle, and a rematch against Patricio Pitbull could come at either featherweight or lightweight depending on how these future fights play out for both of them.
