A.J. McKee believes Charles Oliveira's "unorthodox" striking will make a difference in Islam Makhachev fight (Exclusive)

Former Bellator MMA featherweight champion A.J. McKee gave his take on the upcoming fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev to determine the new UFC lightweight champion.

‘Mercenary’ will make his lightweight debut against Spike Carlyle at Bellator 286 on October 1, 2022, at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California.

The 27-year-old spoke to Giancarlo Aulino of Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview to preview his lightweight debut amongst several other developments in the sport.

When asked to preview the main event of the upcoming UFC pay-per-view event, A.J. McKee said:

"I'm not sure. It's going to be intriguing. I feel like Oliveira might come out on the edge on that one because of just the well-roundedness. His striking is just a little bit more unorthodox. So, I feel like that's going to play a part in it."

A record holder for the most submissions in UFC history (16), Oliveira has shown a refined version of his striking abilities, most notably in his fights against Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje.

Watch the exclusive interview with A.J. McKee below:

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"If I can't be undefeated, no one can" - A.J. McKee on Usman Nurmagomedov's run

Bellator MMA lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull is set to defend his title against Usman Nurmagomedov in the upcoming Bellator 288 event on November 18, 2022.

The undefeated prospect hailing from the famed Eagles MMA team is a cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, the 24-year-old will be aiming to join the academy's long list of champions across various promotions.

No.3-ranked Bellator men's pound-for-pound fighter A.J. McKee previewed the Bellator 288 fight while speaking to Giancarlo Aulino of Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview.

McKee's undefeated record was broken by Patrício Pitbull in their rematch at Bellator 277. 'Mercenary' claimed that no fighter can remain undefeated if he can't:

"If Benson [Henderson] doesn't get him [lightweight champion] next, then I want him next. If it's Pitbull, like I said, atleast you know I'm waiting for him. And if it's Usman, if I can't be undefeated, no one can. That's the way it's got to be."

Hometown favorite A.J. McKee will be looking forward to putting on an impressive performance on his home turf at Bellator 286 against former UFC fighter Spike Carlyle.

Viewers in India can watch the LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Xiaonan on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 4:30 am IST on October 2, 2022.