The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Mckee dominates Carlyle, wins by unanimous decision
LONG BEACH >> It couldn’t be called a homecoming since A.J. Mckee, 562 born and raised, has never really left Long Beach.
No, what happened Saturday night inside Long Beach Arena was a house party.
Mckee weathered a furious early storm from Spike Carlyle en route to a punishing and dominant unanimous-decision victory in the Bellator 286 co-main event.
The judges scored it 2926, 30-26, 30-27 for Mckee, who was making his lightweight debut after moving up in weight upon losing the featherweight title in his only loss in April.
Mckee, 27, didn’t just have the crowd on its feet from the moment he walked out to Long Beach anthem “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg. The Long Beach Poly grad had them in his hands, albeit when his 4-ounce gloves weren’t administering punishment on Carlyle.
Not receiving the memo was Carlyle (19-4), who bullrushed Mckee from their first steps with a flying knee and swinging wildly. Mckee did his best to evade and trade, eventually ending up on his back but delivering nasty elbows from his back to bust open Carlyle.
The second round, with Mckee able to catch his breath and start over, was all Mckee. A right and a knee stunned Carlyle, with Mckee following those with a left. Mckee later took him down and had him in a prolonged front facelock, taking the opportunity to twerk over his opponent to the fans’ delight.
In the third round, Mckee appeared to have chances to sink in submissions on Carlyle, opting instead to continue to pummel and dice him up. The fight ended with Mckee virtually unmarked and Carlyle a bloody mess.
Mckee can now take aim at the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix recently announced by CEO Scott Coker, just 14 months after winning the featherweight belt and the $1 million Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix.
Carlyle, 29, fighting out of Orange, came in on a five-fight win streak in four promotions on the heels of a 1-2 run in the UFC, in which he won his debut in early 2020 via first-round TKO and became known for his wild, high-octane performances.
Carlyle missed weight first by a pound Friday morning and then by 0.6 pounds one hour later, resulting in a rant about the accuracy of the scale and the California State Athletic Commission. He was fined 20% of his purse. PICO SUFFERS TKO LOSS DUE TO INJURY >> For one round, Aaron Pico fought off Jeremy Kennedy. But as soon as the round was over, he had a bigger problem.
Pico was not allowed to continue to fight with a left shoulder injury, leading to a TKO loss despite his corner’s best efforts and his pleas with the referee and ringside physician.
California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster said ringside that the doctor said Pico’s injury might be to his clavicle.
Either way, it was a disappointing finish for former St. John Bosco wrestling standout Pico, who had won six in a row, in his homecoming in his first fight in Southern California in 21/2 years.
As soon as the horn blared, ending a round in which Kennedy (18-3-1, 1 NC) often had Pico’s back and went for submissions, Pico (10-4) rose and walked back to his corner with his left arm dangling by his side.
Brandon Gibson, Pico’s striking coach at Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, began yanking on the shoulder in an effort to pop the seemingly dislocated shoulder back into the joint.
As the second round was about to begin, the referee checked on Pico, who assured him he was good to go.
Pico’s best attempts to continue the fight fell on deaf ears as the fight was waved off.