This fight is one week away for the Bellator FW championship and the finals of the 145lb tournament.
AJ McKee is 17-0 with every fight taking place in Bellator.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is 32-4 after coming into Bellator at 12-0. His only 3 losses at 145 were decisions in championship fights/tournament finals. And a loss to Ben Henderson at 155.
What are you thoughts on this fight?
How do you think these guys hold up against Volkanovski, Holloway, or Ortega?
I think either of these dudes is a great fight for Max or Alex and both would beat Ortega.
I think Pitbull is the #1 FW in the world but they set odds for a reason, we never know until the fights happen.
Pitbull avenged two of his loses and he did not get a rematch in one of them but it was a SD, also like eight or ten years ago now. The Henderson loss was a fight he was winning before an injury TKO loss.
So Pitbull is very close to being 36-0 in his career. Two SD loses, he avenged the one he got a rematch in and then his UD loss is to a guy he beat two times before the SD loss and he has beat him once since the loss so he is 3-1 in their four fights and he has finished the guy twice via sub.
Pitbull has never been KOed, never been submitted and the only guy to get a UD vs him has lost to him three other times.
Most underrated fighter in MMA but fans took notice when he KOed Chandler up a weight class.
McKee is skilled everywhere, at 26 he is just entering his prime. Bellator has brought him along slow. Both fighters have performed well through the whole GP.
McKee has youth on his side, eight years younger than Pitbull who has been in a lot more wars at a high level in MMA.
Personally its my favorite “on paper” fight in Bellator history. Rooting for Pitbull.
I believe McKee is already the best 145er in the world. I really hope the UFC picks him up after he destroys Pitbull
Great f’n post! I always wanted to see a dream fight between Pitbull and Aldo. If I could cross promote any fight it would be Bellator 145 vs UFC 145. I love both AJ and Pitbull.
Yeah Pitbull vs Aldo is a fight I always wanted to see as well.
Its funny, they are the same age, born two months apart in the same country, an inch away from being the same height, spent most of their careers in the same weight class, both turned pro in 2004, both have 36 fights at the moment and their records have been almost identical their entire careers. Both champs for a long time. If Bellator did not have exclusive rights to Pitbull and WEC/UFC did not have exclusive rights to Aldo… we could have maybe seen a great trilogy between them over the years.
McKee fought all of his 17 fights in bellator? how is that possible lol
I’ve been saying for years that McKee is elite and could give anyone in the ufc big problems. I’d love to see him win the Grand Prix and get thrown in vs Holloway . I honestly can’t pick a winner there
Just imagine after the Grand Prix, mckee, pit bull, Caldwell and Pico all go to the ufc … think of the crazy matchups that could be made
Honestly I think Pitbull stylistically decapitates Volk & i mean slaughters him. Max might go differently but Ortega is another win.
Both are better than anyone in the UFC at that weight.
Volk has a titanium chin and endless cardio.
Pitbull opened at -125 and I figured he would open at around -160, still think the line moves closer to that this week.
No.
Sucks they put this on a Saturday to compete with ufc? Either way I’ll be watching this fight live and the replay of UFC
I think this is the best Bellator fight they’ve ever had. I can’t remember being this genuinely interested in a particular fight
My gut tells me AJ is going to pull it off. If he’s the underdog I’d bet on him
Most anticipated fight in Bellator history. I cannot wait. I think Pitbull knocks him out.
Aj is a real special talent. Been looking forward to this fight for a real long time.
