5 UFC featherweights who have a good chance of beating Bellator champ A.J. McKee

#4 Yair Rodriguez vs. A.J. McKee

Mexico's Yair Rodriguez is one of the UFC's most explosive featherweights and could test A.J. McKee

Currently ranked at #3 in the UFC featherweight division, Yair Rodriguez has carved out a reputation for himself as one of the most explosive and creative fighters competing in any of the UFC’s weight divisions.

‘El Pantera’ is a remarkably dangerous fighter, particularly on the feet. His unorthodox nature is largely what makes him such a dangerous striker, as he’s willing to throw strikes that others simply wouldn’t try.

Somehow though, these strikes tend to pay off for the Mexican, as we’ve seen him knock out the likes of Chan Sung Jung and Andre Fili with incredibly low-percentage shots.

1 second left...Yair Rodriguez KO's Chan Sung Jung out of nowhere. No better way to go out on the 25th Anniversary! pic.twitter.com/1C2C6ev62c

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) November 11, 2018

Rodriguez is also a highly underrated grappler. His fights with Leonardo Morales and Charles Rosa featured plenty of ground exchanges and scrambles – most of which were won by ‘El Pantera’.

And while he doesn’t land that many takedowns, he’s hard to keep grounded and holds a takedown defense rate of 63%.

The only man to defeat Rodriguez in the UFC thus far has been Frankie Edgar, and back in 2017, ‘The Answer’ was a battle-tested veteran who was more than capable of beating any other featherweight on the planet.

This fight would still be a winnable one for A.J. McKee, as his more traditional style and well-rounded skills would allow him to emulate Edgar’s style. But the more likely outcome would be that ‘The Mercenary’ wouldn’t cope with Rodriguez’s explosive and eccentric style, and would fall to defeat.

---

#3 Brian Ortega vs. A.J. McKee

Brian Ortega is a dangerous fighter who can pose a threat to A.J. McKee

Currently preparing for his second attempt at winning the UFC featherweight title, Brian Ortega is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous 145lbs fighters on the planet right now.

‘T-City’ holds an incredible record of 15-1, and boasts UFC wins over the likes of Cub Swanson, Chan Sung Jung and Frankie Edgar. If he can beat Alexander Volkanovski, then he’ll rightly be recognized as the best featherweight on the planet.

Could he also defeat Bellator champion A.J. McKee? It seems highly likely. Not only is Ortega far more proven against top-level opponents, he’s also one of those rare fighters who simply doesn’t have any weaknesses.

‘T-City’ is most well-known for his grappling skills. A high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Ortega has seven tapout victories to his name, including three in the UFC. It seems inconceivable that anyone – including A.J. McKee – could outgrapple him.

And on the feet, he’s always possessed power – proven by the fact that he was the first man to knock out Frankie Edgar.

OH MY LORD!!!!@BrianTCity becomes the FIRST MAN to finish Edgar!!!!! WOW!!!!! #UFC222 pic.twitter.com/el22yunJJg

— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2018

But judging on his win over Jung, he now also possesses a highly technical pressure boxing game that should allow him to succeed standing with any opponent.

To add to that, ‘T-City’ is remarkably durable, able to absorb insane amounts of punishment, and he can never be counted out of any fight, having finished four of his UFC opponents in the third round.

A fight between Ortega and A.J. McKee would definitely be a fantastic one – but it’s also fair to say that ‘T-City’ ought to be favored to win.