MORNING KOMBAT WITH LUKE THOMAS AND BRIAN CAMPBELL - AJ Mckee Explains Picking Bellator for New Fight Deal | MK Interview

Episode Date: January 12, 2023

Luke Thomas sits down with AJ Mckee to discuss his new contact with Bellator. Luke and AJ also discuss what he liked about the Bellator vs. Rizin event, Bellator's lightweight grand prix and much more. Morning Kombat is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts.     For more Combat Sports coverage subscribe here: youtube.com/MorningKombat   Follow our hosts on Twitter: @BCampbellCBS, @lthomasnews, @MorningKombat    For Morning Kombat gear visit:morning kombat.store   Follow our hosts on Instagram: @BrianCampbell, @lukethomasnews, @MorningKombat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You hear that? Ugh, paid. And done. That's the sound of bills being paid on time. But with the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card, paying your bills could sound like this. Yes! Earn rewards for paying your bill in full and on time each month.

Rise to rewards with the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card. Terms and conditions apply. All right. Joining us now is a gentleman who made some news, well, actually during New Year's, and then made some news today, the 11th of January, 2023. He just re-signed with a big exclusive contract with Bellator MMA. There he is himself, the mercenary, AJ McKee. Hi, AJ. How are you?

Another day in paradise. I cannot complain. How are you doing? Doing quite well. A lot to get to. I want to start with today's news, then we'll get to your most recent fight, and then the calendar ahead. But first things first, Bellator put out a press release saying they had come to an agreement with you. Multi-fight, multi-year exclusive contract. Sounds like it all came together pretty quickly. Walk me through how fast all this got done.

Pretty quick. I was given the option to kind of go and scope out some other places and see what I'm worth. They gave me the opportunity to go and see, um, and yeah, I was just like, yo, got a couple of one couple on the table here. And they were like, you know what? Screw that. Let's make it happen. What are we going to do? And, uh, my father, my team and I, we sat down and we figured out what was uh what was reasonable what was right okay so you you did negotiate with some other entities is that what it sounds like yes a little bit we were in the talks a little bit yeah feeling him out to see where what the ballpark might be of like what

you'd get paid or what all I guess I'm trying to figure out like what all were you looking for just just a certain dollar value um i would say kind of dollar value it's kind of like a hand in hand type thing you know what i mean because everybody knows if you want the clout you want to be this most famous fighter like what you got to do, where you got to go. But it's like, I don't give a shit about clout. Clout don't pay bills. You know what I mean? So for me being homegrown in Bellator and, and my whole career have, have, have being held here. For me, I was excited to stay, you know,

I really didn't want to go anywhere. There's a lot of things, like I've said, for many years, I've been looking forward to doing with endorsements. And that opportunity is still full force here, you know, any doors possible to open, you know, even if it's closed, the key got the key. So for me, it's just opening those locked doors. This door is already open. It's been open. And it was just opening those locked doors um this door is already open it's been open and it was just a matter of stepping through and sitting down and talking now if it's the 11th here i'm going to guess was the fight against roberto satoshi was that the last fight on your bellator deal no that was just a fight to have so that was a that was so that was technically a rise in bout or

something right correct right so how how long i'm guessing wondering is when the moment bellator was like hey go figure this out and then uh you know whatever and then by the time you got back to them how long are we talking in terms of like the number of days or weeks or whatever um i think the fight in japan opened up a lot of eyes, um, especially just with the way that that fight went, you know, Satoshi's jujitsu is next level. So, um, it just shows, you know, the proof's in the pudding when I, when I come, I come to show out, you know, I'm, I'm not taking part. I'm coming in full force every time. So, uh, I think bellator was happy with with that fight um and then just this 155 pound tournament you know me being in the 155 pound division um nobody knows how good i am

at this weight class um so it's another million dollars for me like and eight more names on another world title say less you know i was a, I was a little butt hurt the first time going into the tournament and not being champ. But this one, I don't give a shit. Like, I'm coming to kick everybody's ass. Like, it's a million dollars. Again, I'm coming for it, you know, and it's a world title. And I get eight names on it.

And, yeah, some of those names I've been watching my entire career. And I'm looking forward to fighting some of these dudes. All right, I want to get to the tournament. Just a couple more questions on the deal, and then we'll move on. One, are you able to say how many fights or how many years the contract is for? It's six fights. Six fights. That's a lot.

That's a fair amount. Yeah, well, you've got to figure the tournament fights, six fights. That's all. That's a lot. It's a fair, that's a fair amount. Yeah. Well, well, you got to figure the tournaments already three fights. Right. So yeah, that's half the contract. Yeah. You know, like if you're going to stay, you gotta, you gotta, you know, you gotta, you gotta be fair.

You know what I mean? You gotta be a little bit fair. So, um, but yeah, after the tournament, you know, we get a couple more fights in, I I'd love to fight Patricio again. So that's another fight. Um, I think it's only right that we fight one last time and yeah. Uh, and then in terms of the dollar value, would you say it's, uh, like how competitive would you say the wage is with what you see out, out there in the sport

i don't think i don't know plate the fist i don't think nobody i'm happy i'm a happy camper let's just leave it at that i'm solid all right very good uh all right so let's talk about the future then which is the tournament now in addition to the news about you coming out today, there was also news about this 155 Grand Prix, which you mentioned. They've put in two fights already. Usman Nurmagomedov's going to fight Benson Henderson, and then Mofik and Alexander have a fight together. But they haven't mentioned you and a few other names, obviously.

What have they told you about where they see you, at least to start this tournament um i don't know i think honestly i think what would make sense is patricky and i just um just because of the family feud you know what i mean um his brother and i have been combative back and forth with each other um or one in one so you know maybe maybe it's big brother who comes in and settles settles this once and for all um and once again there's another million on the line so um i think that should be the first fight you know i think that's the fight to make i think that's a fight that the people can get behind um like i've always said a pit bull is a pit bull so

i'm just looking forward to taking them on a walk. Uh, and then I guess if that would be the quarterfinals from there, do you have like a strong preference? Like, I guess what I'm wondering is, okay, obviously the goal is to get the whole thing to win, to get the million bucks, the belt, all the things that come with it. But like other individual names on that list, aside from Patrycki that you would want, like is Usman in your mind, like, who you really want to be? Or is it just, hey, from after Patrycki, it can be whoever? It really don't matter to me.

I'm setting my eyes on a million dollars again. You know what I mean? Everybody's 0-0. Once again, it's whoever comes out 3-0. That's the man. So, for me, I don't really care who it is. You know what I mean? Once they step in front of me they're gonna have their hands full period and there's some intriguing names though you know like i i've watched benson henderson since i was a kid

i think that's a hell of a matchup stylistically um i think usman might have his hands full a little bit with this fight against uh benson so uh So I can't really say who is going to do what, but I don't know. I mean, Usman's the champ, you know what I mean? So I'm gunning for him, you know what I mean? I always want his neck. That's key is that belt. But, yeah, Benson's a great fight. You got Tafik. He's a brawler. He's good. He's got some nice names in But, yeah, Benson's a great fight. You got Tafik.

He's a brawler. He's good. You got some nice names in there, you know what I mean? But until I see the bracket, where it's laid out, who's where, I'm not worried about it. Like, I'm just about to be in the gym training like a madman, you know? I'm out here in London working out. I got a nice little pump in today.

It was like, rawr, today was like coming you know like i i just i when i'm motivated it's a problem straight up i'm like nothing can stop me from training nothing can stop me from being in the gym my dad's probably gonna have to tell me to chill out a little bit because like once i get determined to do something it's a wrap like i don't care what's in my path or what's going to stop me or try i mentioned something interesting you mentioned that henderson might give some problems to usman specifically in what ways i mean he's just well-rounded you know what i mean he's good on the feet very agile um his jujitsu is there his wrestling defense is there and even if you do take him to the ground he's still threatening you know know what I mean? He's got slick jiu-jitsu.

So that's a fight to watch for sure, especially for me. I can learn a lot from watching them fight. But then again, at the same time, I can kind of analyze what they're doing and see what I need to do and where their weak points are. Can I just tell you as a fan of the tournament, and I'm not sure how you'll react to this, I love the idea of you versus Petriki to start. I think that's a great call, but that should be on one side.

And I think Usman Nurmagomedov, the existing weight class champion, should be on the other. I think the tournament would go better if some of the other hammers were on the other side of the bracket. And so if there is what everyone wants, which would probably be you versus Usman, it would happen in the finals. And I'm going to wager a fair number of fans probably feel that way. I mean, that would be smart.

I think that's ideal. Yeah, you can't just have a lopsided bracket. There he is. You with us still? Yeah, somebody's calling. That's all right no worries um all right so at 155 how do you feel you've had a couple of runs through it now you had the spike carlisle fight in the cage and mma rules or i should say north american mma rules and then you had the satoshi fight which was 155 but very different rules and ring you've tried it out a couple of times how do you

like the weight class and more specifically once you're actually in there how do you feel like does anything about the game change with the weight class either for you or for the opponent um this fight felt a bit easier at 155 i will say it's just a matter of kind of like i said just taking the time to move around with these big dudes and figure out how to maneuver through the fights and and use my leverage a bit more. You know, the 45 years I can just kind of toy with, you know, and and put them where I want them. And. It's all good. Go ahead. Yeah, I can kind of put them where i want them um you know the the first fight was spike there was a couple times you could see i went to lift or i went to roll and he wasn't budging at all so moving into the 55 pound division you just gotta you gotta get adjusted a little bit but um

i don't know man bigger better faster stronger that that's the motto know, I'm feeling a lot healthier, not cutting as much weight. And I feel like I'm just going to get bigger, faster and stronger. You know, it's going to take another probably few months. You know, I'm definitely walking around a bit heavier. I'm up to like 75 now. So that's where I want to be. 75, 180 and then in shape about 175 and then cut to 55. Let me ask you a question about something I noticed with your fight against Satoshi or I should say this, something I feel like I noticed in your fight with Satoshi, but also not just that one, several other ones on that same main card. Like this is true for me in the Archuleta fight as well. You know, it's kind of funny it's like there are way more obviously north american fighters who are on the roster in bellator

than on the roster in ryzen and as a consequence i just feel like you get a lot more people with a wrestling base and with the cage the cage is so wrestling friendly right relative to the ring wrestling is just a much bigger part of the bellator experience than it is the ryzen experience and like satoshi can wrestle and like a lot of those guys on that card can wrestle. But it feels like for the guys who came from Bellator, including you, who just have to deal with that more, even though there's less wrestling in the ring overall, you guys were much better situated for it because you have to deal with it far more often than the people who are fighting in Ryzen in the ring. Did you feel like all of the wrestling that happens in the cage really

transferred just because there's way more of it than what you might get in the Japanese ring style of MMA? No, I think it's, it's different. MMA wrestling in a cage versus wrestling in a ring is completely different. So walk me through what's so different about it. Well, for a fighter like myself, at least I'm speaking for myself. in a ring is completely different. So walk me through what's so different about it. Well, for a fighter like myself, at least, speaking for myself,

I like to get people against the cage. Once I get you against the cage, I know I got the takedown. Introducing the new McSpicy from McDonald's. It looks like a regular chicken sandwich, but it's actually a spicy chicken sandwich. McSpicy. Consider yourself warned.

Limited time only at participating McDonald's in Canada. Like, you're not stopping to take that down. I don't care who you are, what you're doing. I get you against the cage, I can take you down. A ring, there's no places to really kind of prop them up against, you know? So it's more like you gotta hit hit the angle cut the corner and explosive like like kind of freestyle wrestling you know i mean you get in you cut the corner and you get them to the ground um it's just you it's a bit more there's more hazards you know i mean there's more opportunity to get caught in a ring. So, yeah, I think it's just taking time to really sit there and train in a ring and put in the hours and rounds so that you become adjusted and you know where you're at and be aware of your surroundings.

You know, fighting is a lot to do with being aware of your surroundings and what you're doing. So my whole life I've been in a cage. So for me, I'm going to flip off the cage. I know where the cage is. I can utilize the cage a bit more than a ring. And we saw that, you know, once I got him into the corner, I felt like, all right, this is like a cage, you know, I knew where I was at a little bit. And then obviously when the fight was stopped and we moved back to the center it's like all right shit now you're back in the heat you know and then i'm not gonna walk him back over the cage again it's like see what this dude's talking about uh what was the thing you liked

the most about the ring what was the thing you liked actually not just the ring but that entire just the fight not the walkout nothing else just the fight itself what did you like most about that experience what'd you like least um soccer kicks and ground and knees to the grounded opponent that was just since i was a kid i've kind of dreamed of throwing those so uh yeah i was glad i got a couple of good highlight reels of that. What I didn't like, I would say I didn't like just the rule setting, not the rule setting. But so when Satoshi took my back, I was pretty much trying to put my arms on the ring so I could like kind of chill for a second. And that's when Jason Gosar came in and I was like, oh, shit.

And I moved my arms and then he slipped under the under my arm and then took my back and i'm like damn you know what i mean and then another time we were on the we were on the ground we stopped right there and he stopped us and just brought us back to the middle of the ring i'm like why even satoshi was like no like we're good like leave us here you know but whatever yeah what are you going to do, I suppose? Yeah, throw a little temper tantrum. You'll be all right. Right. I got to say, it was overall, it looked like it was a lot of fun.

Like, you had, it seems like you had a lot of fun fighting that way, right? Yeah, definitely. You know, it's not something I would say I'm going to do every fight to go out there. You know, it's, you're going to take a bit more damage in those type of fights. Um, shorter career, obviously, but definitely something I can do a couple of times a year, hands down. Now, speaking of that, this contract you got from Bellator, I would imagine like you, I think it's what you're 27.

You're a senior fighter at this point, right? You've been a weight class champion. You could be another weight class champion by the end of the year for crying out loud like this is a fairly big contract in talking to them at all was there any kind of specification about hey i want to be on cbs cards or going back to this past year hey if we're going to be in long beach can i headline were there any kind of discussions or stipulations about these kinds of uh parts of the fight game not really i don't really give a shit honestly really i don't care i don't i'm surprised to hear that i would imagine someone in your level would be like a little bit like hey i deserve a couple

of like uh bells and whistles or something like that it hit a little personal um well the check the check's all i need you know i mean that that's what I take care of my family with. You know what I mean? I pay all the bills. I'm paying bills. You know what I mean? I got moms. I got my dads. I got, I got a lot that depends on me. And I don't, I don't like to go into specifications of, you know, my life like that, but I don't think people see how much I do on the outside. So for me, it's, it's about the check, man. Everything else is just for glory and clout. Like it's all cool, but that don't pay the bills for me it's it's about the check man everything else is just for glory and clout like it's all cool but that don't pay the bills for me um in terms of the sponsorships you mentioned that like you really want to lean into that you know it's interesting we had like once the ufc did what they did it kind of changed the market for everyone and people are still trying to figure out like how good could MMA sponsorships be what is your imagination for yourself for what that could look like and how much of terms of your overall income that could actually be like what percentage in that sense um well we've had a few little hiccups in the mixed martial arts world from John Jones with Nike, you know, there's just been multiple things that have come into place that have kind of thrown through monkey wrenches into the fight game that kind of have us portrayed as like animals in a sense, you know what I mean? So it's hard for companies to really get behind the mixed martial arts scene and just jump in full force. You know what I mean? And it's such a new sport. You know what I mean?

It's less been around less than 30 years, but yet it's one of the fastest and vast growing sports in the world. Like everybody watches it. So for me, I'm clean cut. You know what I mean? I'm not a partier. I'm clean cut you know what I mean I'm not a partier I'm clean cut I love the kids like you know what I mean so for me it's I could be doing anything you know what I mean that that Snickers could be getting a free fucking commercial every time after my fight and and I got ideas up here that I would love to do but it's like it's not happening all right then cool you know I mean like I said maybe I go mess with with nestle and drop a snickers bar and come up with a butterfingers and be like sorry i got butterfingers you know i mean

like there's just a lot of ideas that i have and things that i feel that could be marketed very well um and just bring different views into the mixed martial arts world um you know i don't know you got old spice you got all kind of stuff head and shoulders you got everything that you could possibly do um for me i'm a big car enthusiast so i'd love to get a car sponsor you know i mean porsche is the cream of the crop perfection of excellence hello here we got the undefeated guy. Like, let's go, you know. It's just a lot of different little things, you know. I'm not one to try to fit a sponsorship in my world that I really don't feel fits me. You know what I mean?

Like, every sponsor I have is someone I'm rocking with. And, like, this is it. You know what I mean? Monster. You got to unleash the beast. Newport Watch Club. B's, this is it. You know what I mean? Monster. You got to unleash the beast. Newport watch club. Bust me down, baby. You know what I mean? Got the rollies, got the APs, got the patiques, the Richard Millies. Like, you know what I mean? Seek headphones. I stay with music playing. Always got to have music.

Like I'm surprised I didn't bring headphones on this trip. And like, as soon as I got on the plane, I was like, damn it. I don't have my headphones. I upset you know i mean so it's just like little things like that biofuel i'm big into the cars happy earth happy car happy me like my car my little race cars run on e85 so biofuel it's something i genuinely mess with undefeated was a big company that i i i've kind of watched undefeated since i was a kid and i i felt that was something you know that even though now that i have a loss like i'm still undefeated in life you know i mean that's something that that's something that you can't take from me like you know i mean i'll always be undefeated you know

i mean it's a mindset type thing um other than that you know lulu lemon's about the new one i'm messing with lulu pretty heavy right now you know i mean that that's training gear and sweatsuits all day like you're talking my style like i'm in sweats when i leave the gym i'm in sweats when i go to the gym and I'm training all day, Lulu me out, baby. Like, you know what I mean? I think that line of clothing is called athleisure. Athleisure is the name. Okay.

Athleisure. Leisure, the athlete. Make my life comfy and snug. Well, I hope that they see this message in just the same. Congratulations on the deal hell of a deal uh six more fights as you mentioned the three in the tournament so we can't wait to see what happens with that this year as well and we appreciate your time all the way from the uk thank you aj mckean congratulations thank you for having me peace and blessings see you soon there he is