‘Year of Kobe Bryant’ looks promising for star fighter AJ McKee ahead of PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs Saudi event

AJ McKee, inspired by the late Kobe Bryant, looks forward to a monumental 2024 in PFL after Bellator's merger.

‘Year of Kobe Bryant’ looks promising for star fighter AJ McKee ahead of PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs Saudi event

AJ McKee remembers Kobe Bryant at PFL vs Bellator card press conference (Image via: Instagram)

The PFL recently acquired Bellator and announced plans to host exciting events for 2024 and beyond. They already had superstars like Francis Ngannou and Cedric Doumbe on their roster. With the merger, the promotion has elite contenders who can claim to be the best in their division, irrespective of the promotion. One of the major stars from Bellator MMA is former featherweight champion AJ McKee. McKee will fight PFL’s Clay Collard in the PFL vs Bellator card in Saudi Arabia. During the event’s press conference, McKee had inspiring words to say about the late Kobe Bryant.

McKee fought only once in 2023 after he suffered his first professional defeat in 2022 and moved up to lightweight. During the press conference, a reporter asked McKee what he hoped for in 2024. This is what he said.

It’s going to be a great year, 2024 the year of Kobe (Bryant) rest in peace. I have big plans for myself this year. I’m excited to have finished off the end of the independent shows with BELLATOR and now coming full circle to doing a PFL show. The first event being in Saudi Arabia is epic. I am excited to be a part of this so let’s see where this path leads.”
AJ McKee via press conference
YouTube video

Kobe Bryant transcended the sport of basketball, and it was not surprising to see McKee reference Bryant. Like Bryant, fans and analysts considered McKee one of the best MMA featherweights before his first professional loss. However, since his move up to lightweight, he remains undefeated in three fights.

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McKee has fought exclusively on Bellator MMA. He has only lost once in 22 professional fights. McKee came to prominence at the 2019 Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Tournament. He finished all his opponents from the quarterfinals to the finals. His semifinal victory over Darrion Caldwell via neck crank was one of the year’s best submissions.

AJ McKee faces Clay Collard at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs

AJ McKee’s opponent on the PFL vs. Bellator card, Clay Collard, is a finalist at the 2023 PFL Lightweight Tournament. Ex-UFC lightweight Olivier Aubin-Mercier won the tournament but retired after the fight. If victorious against Collard, McKee will look forward to fighting for the lightweight title held by Usman Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee
Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee (Image via: Instagram)

Collard had a four-fight stint in the UFC, where he went 1-3, with one of those losses against Max Holloway at featherweight. At the PFL, he holds notable victories over ex-UFC fighters Anthony Pettis and Shane Burgos.

AJ McKee last fought at Bellator 301, the final event before the PFL acquisition of Bellator MMA. At Bellator 301, McKee won via unanimous decision against Sidney Outlaw.

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