As dozens toil on the mats during weight training inside Metroflex in Hawaiian Gardens, perspiration pools under one person and one person only.
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That’s how it goes when, as the others are adjusting their gear and stretching and warming up, A.J. McKee is putting in three miles on the treadmill.
“I try to lead by example, but a lot of these guys … they want the fruit of the labor without producing the fruit,” McKee said after the recent training session.
McKee walks the talk, straining and vocalizing during reps. His father and lifelong coach, Antonio, occasionally steps in with a mop to soak up the growing puddle of sweat.
“Feel the burn!” A.J. McKee yells after a set. “Keep the legs straight!”
The burn is part of his fuel, a desire to reclaim a championship. Except this time, two titles are in his sights as the former Bellator featherweight champion returns to Japan to challenge Razhabali Shaydullaev for the PFL and RIZIN featherweight belts at Super RIZIN 5 early Thursday morning in Osaka, Japan.
The fight has several layers of intrigue. First of all, McKee (25-2) is attempting to become a champion again for the first time in five years after his first-round submission of Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 263 at the Kia Forum. His opponent, the 25-year-old Shaydullaev, is three inches shorter at 5-foot-7 and is a takedown machine with a 19-0 record with 19 finishes.
And then there’s the belts: While there have been double champions in the sport, no fighter has claimed two belts in two major promotions on the same night.
Here are excerpts from a recent interview with the 31-year-old Long Beach MMA star, who returns to Japan less than four years after defeating RIZIN champion Roberto de Souza via unanimous decision in Saitama.
With the Southern California News Group (SCNG), McKee discussed his most recent victory over Salamat Isbulaev, life with his father, training with fellow South Bay fighter and UFC lightweight Brian Ortega, the recent PFL merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, and fighting the RIZIN champion for his title and the vacant 145-pound PFL championship. Some answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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SCNG: OK, you went through Akhmed Magomedov. You went through Adam Borics. You went through Salamat Isbulaev. Now you’ve got another Eastern European guy in Shaydullaev. Is this just how it is in your division now?
MCKEE: You know, everybody from that side of the map, they’re tough. A lot of these guys don’t have that nit, that grit. They’re not willing to kill or be killed in there. Me, on the other hand, I’m gonna give it 110 every (expletive) time. That’s just the name of the game. So a lot of these guys are doing really good. They’re finishing everyone, but they’re fighting guys that don’t have the skill set. You know, the last guy I fought, he was tough. He was good. But he hadn’t fought anybody yet that had a skill set that was going to have the same output, if not more. So come full circle, I feel like this is the same thing. I feel like my previous opponent was a little bit tougher. He’s got more head movement than this guy. Head movement’s hard to deal with. This guy, he doesn’t have good head movement. He’s just straightforward. He throws overhands and then wrestles.
SCNG: What does it mean for you to have your dad there every day by your side, but also in your corner?
MCKEE: It’s a blessing. He knows when I’m (bluffing), when I’m actually tired. He knows the ins and outs of my body. He knows my body better than I know my own body. I’m like a machine. I’m gonna just go until I can’t go anymore. And he recognizes when you got a misfire in a cylinder. So me as the machine, (screw) it. We’re running on seven cylinders. We’re gonna keep going until it shuts down. He’s like, ‘No, come in. We gotta change the spark part.’ You know what I mean? And now we’re back in running at eight cylinders.
SCNG: What’s it like rolling with Brian Ortega?
MCKEE: Amazing, dude. I haven’t been able to roll with anybody that has high-level jiu-jitsu like that. He’s got really elite jiu-jitsu. So being able to grapple with him and open up my game and add to my plethora of moves is awesome, and you know we’re leveling him up as well.
SCNG: What are your thoughts on the PFL merger with Most Valuable Promotions?
MCKEE: I think it’s awesome. It’s something that can reach exponential growth. PFL is already established. They’ve got some of the best fighters in the world. So for MVP to step into the mixed martial arts world, like they’ve been saying they want to do, I think it’s awesome. It gives fighters an opportunity to outsource, and them having the platform that they do, that they’ve had, and the connections, it can be very beneficial for fighters. They’ve shown that the views are there, doing it with Netflix and stuff like that. Now you just need an AJ McKee that’s going to sell a quarter- to a half-million dollars’ worth of tickets on your card. You know what I mean? And we’ll have the views. You guys do the views, and I’ll hustle and do the ticket sales. Supply and demand here.
SCNG: How do you see this fight going?
MCKEE: I’m hoping I just go out there and flatline his (butt) first round. Honestly, he’s so small that he should be nowhere near me. He should not get near me. Don’t get taken down and just pick them apart on the feet.
SCNG: What does it mean to be fighting for a title again?
MCKEE: Well, this is part of history, you know? I’m fighting not for one, but two titles. This is another piece of history for me. This is where the pressure is built up. You know, I don’t know if he’s used to the pressure, but this is something that I feed off. It makes me hungry. It makes me want to work more. To know that there’s two titles on the line and I’ll be the first to ever win two titles in mixed martial arts in one night. It’s a blessing to be put in the position. It’s a blessing that PFL has honored me and allowed me to do something like this, but also trusting in me to represent the organization and go take on another champion from another organization? It just shows not only the value that I feel I bring, but that they allow me to and trust in me to bring it. Not only for myself but for the company as well.
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