AJ McKee isn’t used to being the one called out, but that’s just what super-prospect Paul Hughes has done for his sophomore promotional outing.
The former Bellator champion submitted last year’s PFL finalist Clay Collard within 70 seconds back in February, and has been raring to go since then. And with a number of competitors touted, he has been selected by Hughes, who wants to assert himself as one of the world’s best lightweights.
Irishman Hughes opted with PFL over the UFC after leaving Cage Warriors this summer, and co-headlined at Dublin’s 3Arena just weeks later. After winning that debut by KO, he is taking a massive step up and facing arguably one of the best that any promotion has to offer.
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Paul Hughes believes AJ McKee provides perfect stepping stone to world domination
Throughout his run in Cage Warriors, there was a belief that Paul Hughes was always just a moment’s notice from the UFC. However, when his contract came up and time to negotiate arrived, it was PFL who were able to offer him the better deal and he took the road less travelled.
Now, Hughes wants to be instantly vindicated in his decision-making, and has called for arguably the biggest challenge at his weight outside of the top promotion. “This is what I wanted when I signed for the organization,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat.
“I said I want the biggest fights they can give me, the hardest fights, the most entertaining. I think I’ve got that here. This is the opportunity now to prove what I’ve been saying for the best part of two years which is that I am one of the best fighters in the world at 155lb.
“I think AJ would definitely beat quite a few of the top five, top ten lightweights in the UFC. He’s right up there, so for me to take this big jump in my career is absolutely what I want right now.”
AJ McKee refuses to get drawn into war of words with Paul Hughes
During Bellator London last month, McKee and Hughes were brought in for a virtual face-off. The Irishman, who joined the broadcast live from the OVO Arena Wembley, appeared to get the better of the verbal exchanges with his rival, who called in from his home office.
However, McKee is refusing to allow himself to be drawn into a verbal battle with his rival. He insists that a result of maturing throughout his career has meant keeping himself grounded when he instinctively is angered by particular comments.
“When I was young I was a little fireball,” McKee reminisced during an exclusive chat with Bloody Elbow. “I used to let that s*** get under my skin and kind of fire me up, whereas now you could see I just kind of laugh at him.
“I find it comical, he’s like a little brother almost. I find him comical, I don’t let s*** bother me, it doesn’t get under my skin. I’ve been through so much in life you just have to find things to enjoy.
“If you’re walking around with an aggro reaction to all that stuff every damn time there’s just no point. So I find things that are serious and probably aren’t funny to be funny and I just laugh about it and keep it going.”
AJ McKee is unimpressed with Paul Hughes’ success in Europe
In the time that Hughes has been rising through the ranks in Cage Warriors, AJ McKee was competing for world titles and establishing his name atop two Bellator divisions. And he insists that he didn’t pay much attention to his now-rival’s rise until the fight was offered.
Asked if he understands the hype around the Irishman, McKee giggled as he replied: “I don’t, if I’m being frankly honest with you I don’t pay attention to it.”
His hypothesis is that to make it in MMA, a fighter has to have trained and competed in America for a prolonged period of time. The son of legendary competitor Antonio McKee, he recalls the early days of the sport during his childhood.
“America has been the pinnacle of Mixed Martial Arts,” he noted. “We started this s*** straight up. My dad was fighting back in the 90s, we started this s*** here, especially in California this is where it started.
“I was a kid rocking around Tapout shows. I bet most people don’t even know Tapout did shows, and I was a kid running around those damn things with all those dudes, so it’s a different lifestyle out here but I’m not trying to s*** on anyone’s dreams.
“He’s trying to achieve his goals, obviously he’s being put in this position because he has done the work and he feels he’s the next up. For me, my time is not over, I’m just getting started and it just sucks that he has to be the guy being put in front of me.
“I don’t want to s*** on anyone’s parade, but that’s kind of my job. Especially at this moment.”
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