Arguably the greatest fighter in Bellator history, Patricio Freire takes on the unbeaten prospect, AJ McKee in the finale of the featherweight grand Prix.
This is a huge legacy fight for both the fighters involved. If AJ McKee causes the upset against Patricio Freire then he will solidify himself as one of the greatest featherweights at the moment. And with a win over Patricio Freire, he will also have the momentum to possibly earn a big contract with UFC as well.
AJ McKee has been talking about competing against the UFC featherweights and if he wins the Bellator Grand Prix then he will get right into the mix with the top UFC featherweights. On the other hand, Patricio Freire would want to solidify his position as one of the greatest featherweights of all time.
The fans would love to see Pitbull compete against the likes of Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in UFC but it is a highly unlikely scenario. Nevertheless, Pitbull would aim to secure his Bellator featherweight title by winning the featherweight Grand Prix and the $1 million reward. So can the unbeaten prospect beat the Bellator legend? Let’s find out.
Also Read: Who has beaten Patricio Freire in his career?
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs AJ McKee Stats
Patricio Freire:
Wins/Losses- 32/4 (23 finishes)
Height- 5ft6inches
Submission wins- 12
Reach- 65.5 inches
AJ McKee:
Wins/Losses- 17/0 (12 finishes)
Height- 5ft10inches
Submission wins- 6
Reach- 73.5 inches
Also Read: How much money does Patricio Pitbull make in Bellator?
Patricio Freire vs AJ McKee prediction:
It’s an exciting matchup between two elite featherweights of the world. AJ McKee has been very impressive and is considered to be the fighter who can put up a tough fight against Pitbull. He has a solid ground game and has some good wins in Bellator including Pat Curran, Darrion Caldwell, and Derek Campos. Now the level of opponent he has fought is not impressive when compared to the guys Patricio Freire has fought in his career.
However, there is a possibility that AJ McKee shows up at Bellator 263 with his best gameplan and causes a huge upset. However, Patricio Freire is likely to get the job done once again at Bellator 263.
His knockout power is lethal for the featherweight division and it will put AJ McKee in trouble. Besides that, he can defend himself on the ground if the fight goes to the ground against AJ McKee. But, it’s very likely that he will keep the fight standing and try to finish the fight inside the first two rounds.
Pitbull has a clear striking advantage. Though AJ is a good striker there have been times he has not looked dominant against some lesser-level opponents. On the other hand, Pitbull has been dominating elite opponents such as Michael Chandler, Benson Henderson, Juan Archuleta, etc.
This will be a huge pressure fight for both the fighters involved. And Pitbull has been part of some of the major fights of the organization while AJ McKee is relatively inexperienced compared to Pitbull.
There is a possibility that AJ McKee will put Patricio Freire in trouble on the ground if the fight goes to the later rounds. but, Pitbull should be able to finish the fight early inside the first two rounds.
