A former Bellator Champion claims that he matches Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov statistically. Both Jones(27-1-0) and Nurmagomedov(29-0-0) are considered two of the best fighters the MMA world has ever seen. The pair are technically undefeated inside the octagon and have won major titles in the UFC. In fact, Jones has won titles in two weight classes and both fighters were dominant champions with multiple title defenses. Now, comparing himself to the UFC legends, this 28-year-old MMA fighter has laid out his impressive stats for the world to see.
AJ McKee is a former Bellator champion who still competes for the organization. McKee won the title on August 1, 2021, by defeating Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire via submission. He is still one of the top-ranked fighters in his division despite not having the belt. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani while on The MMA Hour, the former champ spoke about why he thinks he is on the same level as Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said,
“And stat wise who’s doing better than me besides Jon Jones? Khabib? You can name legit two people in the world, we’re talking in the entire world, that have better stats than me.”
As a matter of fact, McKee does have an impressive MMA record of 22-1-0. 6 of his wins have come via knockouts and 8 of them via submission. However, whether this record is enough to name him in the ranks of Jones and Nurmagomedov is a debate that might take a while to settle.
AJ McKee further spoke about how he is not worried about anything but earning money right now. Although he does want to become a champion again, he is also focused on wealth. The former Bellator champion wants to secure wealth for his family and his future family. He stated he can not wait to be done with the sport of MMA.
Continuing with the interview, Ariel Helwani asked him about his contract details. McKee obliged and opened up about how many fights he has left in his deal with Bellator.
Former Bellator Champion AJ McKee reveals how many fights he has left on his Bellator contract
Bellator has merged with the PFL and, for now, they are operating as two different organizations. However, they have a series where champions from both organizations compete against each other. Amidst all this confusion, Ariel Helwani asked the former Bellator Champion how many fights he has left in his contract with the organization. The clip from MMA Hour was posted on X by Jed I. Goodman.
“Honestly, I don’t even know I think I might be like halfway through maybe, I don’t even remember. I’m just like trying to get through them at this point Ariel.”
AJ McKee stated that he can not wait to get through them because he loves fighting. He also spoke about potentially being on the same card as Francis Ngannou on his return to MMA. However, he might look to return to action earlier than that, as he has title aspirations. And from the looks of it, McKee desperately wants to win his belt back.
