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

#2 Alexander Volkanovski vs. A.J. McKee

UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski would be favored against his Bellator equivalent A.J. McKee

The reigning UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, might be one of the most underrated fighters on the planet right now, probably because his fighting style simply isn’t as flashy as some of his rivals.

There’s no denying, however, that ‘Alexander the Great’ is remarkably effective inside the octagon. His UFC record of 9-0 is second to none, and the list of fighters he’s beaten is also an eye-opener, as it includes Darren Elkins, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo and Max Holloway.

VOLKANOVSKI HAS ARRIVED!!!#UFC232 pic.twitter.com/f874DKcP2e

— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018

Volkanovski isn’t the best finisher in the UFC featherweight division, as five of his nine wins have gone the distance. However, that hasn’t stopped him from being largely dominant every time he’s stepped inside the octagon.

The Australian lands almost twice as many strikes as he absorbs per minute, and can throw in combinations as well as haymakers when a fight requires it. And he’s also a surprisingly excellent wrestler, with a takedown defense rate of 72%.

In fact, the only men to take him down in recent fights were Mendes and Elkins – two of the better wrestlers in the 145lbs division.

A.J. McKee is perhaps a better finisher than Volkanovski, but he’d have to catch him with something heavy or take him down in order to pull a finish off, and both seem highly unlikely given what ‘Alexander the Great’ has done thus far.

And so that means that in a clash pitting Volkanovski against A.J. McKee, the UFC featherweight champion would have to be favored.

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#1 Max Holloway vs. A.J. McKee

Max Holloway may still be the best featherweight in the world right now and should be able to beat A.J. Mckee in the octagon

While he may have suffered two defeats at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski – losing his UFC featherweight crown in the process – there’s still an argument that Max Holloway is the best 145lber on the planet right now.

And it’s also hard to fathom a way that Bellator featherweight kingpin A.J. McKee could defeat the dangerous Hawaiian if they were to face off inside the cage.

Holloway is simply an incredible fighter with absolutely no weaknesses. Primarily a striker, ‘Blessed’ was once known as a volume-based kickboxer. In his win over Calvin Kattar in January, though, he showed some incredible improvements in his boxing game – and landed a ludicrous 445 significant strikes across five rounds.

Essentially, it’s unlikely that any other fighter could match that kind of pace and volume on the feet – and Holloway hits with serious power, too. He’s also insanely durable, having never lost via strikes in his MMA career.

I'M THE BEST BOXER IN THE UFC!!!! #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/Nfc4Csp6f4

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021

It’s also been a well-known fact for years that the Hawaiian is a highly dangerous grappler and an underrated wrestler. Holloway has a takedown defense rate of 84%, and while some fighters have taken him down, holding him there has proven far more difficult.

And what’s more, ‘Blessed’ has a very dangerous submission game, with his wins over Cub Swanson and Andre Fili both coming via a nasty guillotine choke that made full use of his long arms.

A.J. McKee may be rightfully confident in his skills, but in all honesty, he likely isn’t superior to Holloway in any area. A.J. McKee would almost certainly come out second best in a fight between the two.