It wasn’t long ago that A.J. McKee was ranked as one of the best featherweights in the sport, but after dropping a disappointing decision to Patricio Pitbull back in 2022, he decided to take his talents to 155 pounds instead.
He won his next four fights in a row and that got him matched up against rising star Paul Hughes in a de facto No. 1 contender’s bout with the winner expected to move on to face then-Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Unfortunately, McKee came up short, dropping a split decision but he certainly has no regrets about his performance, especially knowing what he was going through at the time.
“I had shoulder surgery right before the last fight,” McKee told MMA Fighting. “A lot of people didn’t know. It wasn’t something I was open about. Obviously, I don’t want people knowing I’m hurt. But I had shoulder surgery right before the last fight, doctors told me not to fight. But you’ve got to go do what you’ve got to do. I fell a little bit short. Now coming full circle, I’m feeling healthy, feeling strong and better than ever. No more shoulder pain, no more aches and we’re returning to the 145-pound division to show and remind everyone who the best 145-pounder in the world is again.”
“I had a tear in my pec, my labrum, my bicep and then they shaved down my AC and my rotator [cuff] so I had full shoulder repair. It wasn’t too shabby. I don’t have any aches, no pains, no positions where I feel like it’s going to give out. It’s back to normal.”
Revealing that he had surgery prior to the fight might sound like McKee is making excuses for his loss but he promises that the choice to compete that night was his and his alone.
As much as he wishes he had been at 100 percent health, McKee still did his best and came up just short in a close decision.
“At the end of the day, I went in there and fought. It’s on me,” McKee said. “It was a close fight. I can genuinely say I wasn’t myself. I think a lot of people realized and say that as well. Like ‘dude A.J. looks drained, he looks out of it.’ I was tired after the first round all the way through. I gave it all I had. But I don’t think people realize surgeries take a toll on your brain, on your body, everything.
“Literally not even finishing therapy and going into a fight wasn’t the brightest thing in the world but I can throw some punches so that’s all that matters. We made it look good and it was a great opportunity. I can’t say it was a missed opportunity because I went in there and did what I could. That’s life.”
Losing to Hughes wasn’t necessarily the deciding factor for McKee to return to his old stomping grounds at featherweight because he always had a feeling he’d go back to 145 pounds one day.
The move was ushered along a little quicker once he missed out on fighting Nurmagomedov with the lightweight title on the line because that’s a matchup he was chasing from his first day in the division.
That doesn’t mean he couldn’t eventually go back there again but McKee knows at his absolute best, he’s nearly untouchable when he’s competing at featherweight.
“It’s time to make a statement again,” McKee said. “At the end of the day, I love titles. I love fighting through things that should either break you or set you back. Being a fight away from the title at 155 pounds, the lightweight division, falling short and being a fight away from the title, it’s just kind of a reminder that you’re still one of the baddest dudes on the planet.
“Return to 145 pound division, run it there again and remind the world who is the baddest 145-pounder in the world again. With the return, I think it was due. After I lost my first fight in the 145-pound division, I came back on fire. Now it’s just get back to showing everyone who the baddest man in the 145-pound division is.”
Part of his past frustration at featherweight was a lack of competition after McKee effectively faced and defeated most of the top contenders before he got drawn into the rivalry with Pitbull.
Thanks to the PFL-Bellator merger, McKee has a lot of new blood to draw upon when he’s look at a pool of potential opponents. That’s going to keep him plenty motivated as McKee hopes to wrap another belt around his waist sooner than later.
Add to that, McKee is coming off a loss for only the second time in his career and he really doesn’t like that feeling.
“I lost but guess what? I’m still the baddest man on the planet in this division,” McKee said. “I was one fight away from being the baddest man in [the lightweight] division. I think the whole walk at lightweight was to show everyone more so that I’m really one of the best fighters on the planet whether it’s 145 or 155. I can hold my own in any division. It’s not about the weight, it’s more about the skill set and the mindset. That’s kind of what my take was on the 155-pound division. At 145 pounds, I don’t care who it is, if you’re in front of me, I’m coming to take your head off.
“Obviously I suffered that loss and every time I lose, I come back with a vengeance. I’m hungrier than ever. In the featherweight division, I don’t care who it is.”
