"Rough seeing me getting down" - AJ McKee says he is "done with" the featherweight division

Until tonight’s Bellator 277, AJ McKee was unbeaten in his professional MMA career. All of his fights have taken place in the 145-pound weight class. After his first loss, he announced that he would no longer compete in the featherweight division.

McKee fought Patricio Freire in a Bellator featherweight title rematch. Their previous fight took place at Bellator 263 and served as the finals of the Bellator World Featherweight Grand Prix. ‘Mercenary’ submitted the Brazilian fighter with a guillotine choke in the very first round.

McKee was looking to repeat the performance, but this time the fight went the full distance. Freire was declared the new Bellator featherweight champion to the shock and dismay of AJ McKee and fans.

At the post-fight press conference, ‘Mercenary’ announced that he’s "done" with the featherweight division. The former Bellator featherweight champion said:

“Like I’ve been telling you, I’m done with 45s. Unless we getting some superfights going. I’ve been at 45s for years, years and years and years cutting a lot of weight. I don’t think people like to see what goes into it. It’s a lot of work, not just for myself, for my team, for my family. Yeah, it’s rough seeing me getting down to 45s.”

When he was asked about what’s next for him and if he wants to close the trilogy with 'Pitbull', McKee sounded like his decision was final:

“Sure, 55s. Why not? Faster, stronger, bigger, yeah. I’m going to unleash that beast. Monster style, baby.”

He also refused to entertain the idea of fights against Adam Borics and Aaron Pico.

AJ McKee has a 18-1 professional MMA record, with all of his fights taking place inside the Bellator cage. He holds victories over notable fighters such as Pat Curran, Georgi Karakhanyan, Derek Campos, Darrion Caldwell, and the aforementioned Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire.

Watch AJ McKee at the post-fight presser below:

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AJ McKee wasn’t impressed with Alexander Volkanovski’s performance

Alexander Volkanovski's victory over 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 had the world in awe of the Australian's skills and elite level of combat. The fight became a widely discussed topic amongst the MMA community worldwide. So, it comes as no surprise that even the then-Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee spoke about it before his title defense against Freire.

At the Bellator 277 pre-fight press conference, McKee said that he wasn't impressed with Volkanovski's performance:

“I feel like I come on the top with any 145 pounder in the world. Especially 155 as well, obviously them being little big bigger. But 145, I’ve watched Volkanovski fight. I wasn’t too impressed. Honestly, I feel myself and 'Pitbull', we could hang out with any forty-fiver in the world, you know. This is no discredit to any other forty-fiver in the world. But I strongly believe that Bellator has the best 145 division in the world.”

McKee went on to claim that he could beat any 145 pounder in the world, including Volkanovski.