A 24-year-old American scored an 8-second knockout, backflipped off the Bellator cage, then said he wants a 'mother-f------ belt'

Advertisement
A 24-year-old American scored an 8-second knockout, backflipped off the Bellator cage, then said he wants a 'mother-f------ belt'

Advertisement
AJ McKee
  • A 24-year-old American heightened his reputation as one of the world's most promising featherweights after an 8-second knockout win on Saturday.
  • AJ McKee beat his opponent without taking any damage.
  • He touched gloves with his opponent Georgi Karakhanyan, dropped him with an overhand left, then beat him with nasty ground-and-pound technique.
  • To celebrate, he backflipped off the cage and later screamed: "I want my mother-f------ belt!"
  • McKee advances to the quarterfinal of Bellator's featherweight Grand Prix tournament, and fights Derek Campos in December.
  • If he continues winning, it will not be long before he fights for the Bellator title.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

AJ McKee scored an 8-second knockout, backflipped off the Bellator cage, then said he wants a "mother-f------ belt."

The 24-year-old American, already regarded as one of Bellator's top prospects, heightened his reputation with a highlight-reel performance at the Bellator 228 show at The Forum in Inglewood, California on Saturday.

McKee was fighting the jiu jitsu black belt Georgi Karakhanyan in a 16-man Grand Prix, and beat him without taking any damage whatsoever.

After McKee and Karakhanyan touched gloves, McKee went to work. He threw a couple of distance-measuring shots, then launched a one-two combination - the second punch in that flurry, an overhand left, dropped Karakhanyan to the floor.

Advertisement

Read more: Take a look inside the new and improved Straight Blast Gym where John Kavanagh trains Conor McGregor and James Gallagher

Once his opponent had hit the deck, McKee pounced and was separated by the referee after hitting the fallen fighter with unanswerable ground-and-pound.

To celebrate, McKee backflipped off the Bellator cage, thumped himself on the chest, and threw his gumshield into the crowd.

He then jumped back on the fence and shouted: "I want my mother-f------ belt," in his post-fight interview.

Watch the knockout and the celebration right here:

Advertisement

If McKee keeps winning, it will not be long before he gets a title shot, as he is taking part in Bellator's featherweight Grand Prix.

Having beaten Karakhanyan, McKee advances to the quarterfinal stage where he takes on Derek Campos in December. Should he win again, he will progress into the semifinal stage and could feasibly fight the title holder, which is currently Patricio "Pitbull" Freire.

Bellator's featherweight division is thriving

It has been an action-packed weekend for Bellator and its featherweight division as McKee's win at Bellator 228 was one day after the Bellator 227 show in Dublin, which Business Insider attended.

The main event saw the Irish featherweight James Gallagher submit the former UFC fighter Roman Salazar in just 35 seconds, before celebrating wildly with his Straight Blast Gym teammate Conor McGregor, who was cageside at the time.

Read more: The 22-year-old Irish fighter being compared to Conor McGregor could actually be a better example of 'modern' MMA

Advertisement

Gallagher's victory followed another showcase win for the British welterweight Michael "Venom" Page, who knocked Richard Kiely out in the opening round because of a flying knee to the face.

Page then pretended to stagger around the cage on drunken legs before standing over his fallen opponent so he could mock him.

{{}}