His time to shine
Long Beach’s A.J. McKee faces champion Patricio Pitbull in Bellator 263tonight at The Forum.
A.J. McKee rolled up to The Forum last week styling and profiling. Out of a Maybach strolled the 26-year-old MMA prodigy, decked out in a blue throwback Lakers Kobe Bryant jersey and sporting Louis Vuitton shoes, a flashy watch on his wrist and a $20,000 chunk of gold dangling from his neck.
In the background was an enormous banner adorning one of the infamously red exterior walls of the famed Inglewood sports arena. On one side of the poster was Brazilian two-time featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, the undisputed king of Bellator’s 145-pound and 155-pound divisions.
On the other was the undefeated local kid who made good, from his wrestling days at Long Beach Poly to headlining Bellator 263 tonight.
At stake in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix final is not only Pitbull’s belt, but a cool $1 million.
A.J. McKee and his father, Antonio, started this journey more than six years ago, with a justturned 20-year-old A.J. winning his debut via submission at Bren Events Center in Irvine and audaciously barking out the champion’s name – Patricio Pitbull, who was seven months into his first featherweight title reign.
And now McKee doesn’t know if Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner ranks as the most significant fight of his career, let alone in the hallowed halls of The Forum.
“Being here last time, fighting on the card with my dad, that was a big piece. I still don’t know if winning this world title will be bigger than that for me,” the 17-0 McKee said of the September 2019 card when he and his father each were victorious at Bellator 228.
“But it’s neck and neck, man. I feel like this is more of a calling. This is what I have to do. This is what needs to be done.”
For Antonio McKee, serving dual roles in his son’s life isn’t an issue due to his ability to compartmentalize being A.J.’s father and coach.
“When we’re at home, we don’t talk about fighting. In the gym, listen to me, respect me, I’m your coach,” Antonio McKee said.
A.J. McKee was among several local kids who began wrestling at a young age under his father’s watch in the family garage.
Antonio, though, says he didn’t push his son into wrestling or fighting.
Main event:
Champion Patricio Pitbull vs. A.J. McKee in the $1 million Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix final Today The Forum, Inglewood 4 p.m. prelims (Bellator and Showtime YouTube); 7p.m. main card (Showtime)
When: Where: How to watch:
“Pushing him to wrestle and wanting him to wrestle are two different things,” Antonio McKee, 51, said. “I wanted him to take from wrestling what you get: the discipline, the sacrifice, hard work and you have to be mentally prepared. Those are all the fundamentals of life.”
As for pursuing a career in MMA, A.J. McKee told his dad, who has trained the likes of former champions Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell and Tyron Woodley, he was fighting one way or another – on the streets or in the cage.
Antonio acquiesced. Not that he pampered his kid.
“I said, ‘I’ll see you Monday’ and I made him throw up for a whole week straight,” he said. “I tried to torture him to make him not want to do it. Unfortunately, I’m barking at the wrong tree. At that time, it was unfortunately, ‘OK, this is the route you want to take? This is the hard way.’ But then I built him on that. So what did I expect?”
A.J. McKee has heard the stories of his father’s difficult upbringing and rough-and-tumble 20-year MMA career, from fighting for fringe organizations for peanuts starting in 1999 to getting one shot in the UFC — a unanimous-decision loss to Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125 in 2011 — before being cut.
His respect runs deep for his father, a fighter in every sense of the word.
“He’s in my corner. My dad wants nothing but the best for me,” A.J. McKee said. “I see that, him being a first-generation fighter, fighting for $50, and me coming in for $1,500. He sees the way the sport is. So his eyes have always been open.”
The 5-foot-10 McKee will have an 8-inch reach advantage over the 5-6 Pitbull, who has won seven consecutive title fights and hasn’t lost in five years while often finding a way inside against taller opponents.
“He’s not going to understand the game standing. He’s gonna try to put me on the ground,” the 34-year-old Pitbull predicted. “He believes he has the advantage because he’s longer. To me, it’s nothing.”