A.J. McKee is closing in on his desired shot at Bellator light-weight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
However first, McKee (22-1) has to get previous Paul Hughes (12-1) at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+).
McKee thinks him vs. Nurmagomedov (18-0) is the battle to make.
“I believe it’s been the battle that everyone’s wished to see for fairly a while now,” McKee advised MMA Junkie Radio. “Clearly, myself catching staph by means of the event, one thing occurred with him throughout the event testing smart or no matter, so he went on just a little suspension. However we simply proceed to battle, good our craft.
“I can’t actually look previous Paul Hughes, as a result of kinds make fights and each battle is a distinct battle. So for me, it’s staying centered on Paul Hughes. However after that Usman battle (vs. Alexandr Shabliy), Khabib (Nurmagomedov) did stroll by and he goes, ‘See you in Dubai, brother,’ and I began laughing. It was simply humorous, as a result of he is aware of I’m watching, why I’m there.”
Previous to retaining his title towards Alexandr Shabliy in September, Nurmagomedov mentioned he sees McKee as the highest contender. McKee isn’t positive why he was booked towards Hughes as an alternative of being the subsequent title challenger, however says a battle with Nurmagomedov is inevitable.
“I don’t know – he would possibly want just a little break,” McKee mentioned. “I believe that’s the subsequent battle regardless, although. Khabib type of mentioned it to me, I’ve been veering for it for a minute, and I believe everyone is aware of that’s the battle to make.
“I believe that’s the battle they’re going to make. It’s the battle that type of is smart to make. However clearly, I’ve bought to go do my job. It’s yet one more man in entrance of me. Once you have a look at the stats, everyone knows who deserves that title shot, however I’ve simply bought yet one more step to show.”
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