“Stat-wise, who’s doing better than me besides Jon Jones? Khabib?” - Ex-Bellator champ AJ McKee opens on legacy and life after fighting career

AJ McKee is proud of what he has accomplished so far in his MMA career and recently opened up about both his legacy as well as what he hopes his life is like after his fighting career is over.

The former featherweight Grand Prix winner most recently earned a dominant first-round submission win over Clay Collard at the historic PFL vs. Bellator event in Saudi Arabia.

For years, 'The Mercenary' has been among the fighters that fans have expressed a desire to see compete in the UFC, especially considering that he has become one of the most successful homegrown stars to come out of Bellator.

During his appearance on today's episode of The MMA Hour, McKee shared his thoughts on being a successful second-generation fighter who has been successful in MMA compared to others and mentioned that he remains focused on winning another championship. He said:

"I'm the only second generation fighter out here making real noise. And stat-wise, who's doing better than me besides Jon Jones? Khabib [Nurmagomedov]? You can legit name two people in the world...that have better stats than me... I'm just worried about my family's wealth and my future family's wealth...It's 2024, it's the year of Kobe [Bryant] and that's where I'm looking forward to, being a champ again."

It will be interesting to see what the PFL has planned for McKee's next bout as reigning Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his title against Alexandr Shabliy at the next Champions Series event in Paris, France on May 17.

Based on the timeline, 'The Mercenary' could be in a position where he either has to sit out longer and challenge the winner later in the year, or pursue a bout with another opponent.

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AJ McKee addresses the PFL-Bellator contract status

It appears as though AJ McKee still has a few more fights remaining on his PFL contract, which they absorbed after acquiring Bellator.

During the aforementioned appearance, the former Bellator featherweight champion and Grand Prix winner mentioned that he prefers to remain active, and so he anticipates that he will fight out the deal quicker than others typically would.

AJ McKee said:

"Honestly, I don't even know [exactly how many fights are remaining]. I think I might be like, halfway through maybe. I don't even remember, I'm just trying to get through it at this point...Cause I like to fight, Ariel, I like punching people in the face."