Bellator 263: Pitbull vs. McKee

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

So pitbull has to earn his way back right no immediate rematch?
Bela tourney system is rough on champs.

Nah. Pitbull will get an immediate rematch imo. It seems perfectly justified. Dude is easily the Bellator GOAT. Two-division champ, longtime FW champ. He wasn't dominated. It was a quick, albeit conclusive, finish. If anyone deserves a rematch it's him.

Hat's off to AJ McKee. I severely doubted what he was capable of. If they rematched, I'd still be inclined to pick Pitbull. Because I will always stand by the fact that quick finishes like this don't necessarily always determine the better fight. It was the first real exchange of the fight that the finish happened it. Which is impressive as hell, but there's still questions to be answered here. I'm not taking anything away from McKee. Just acknowledging that I do believe there is grounds for a rematch - much like I believe Jose Aldo 100% deserved a rematch he never got against Conor McGregor. A quick stoppage does not always mean the winning fighter is superior.

Impressive af nonetheless. A real breakout performance for McKee and the wild part is, unlike others, I wasn't super impressed with his resume coming into this fight. An absolutely legit 17-0, but I just didn't rate wins over modern-day Pat Curran and the very overrated Darrion Caldwell as highly as some did, I guess. But none of that matters. I still believe Pitbull is easily a Top 10 FW in the world - and that's not even up for debate. So AJ McKee joins that discussion now. Bellator has handled his rise beautifully, and it paid off last night.

I don't believe Mads Burnell should've won the fight against Emmanuel Sanchez, but it was far from a robbery. What a great fight that was between two must-watch and imo super underrated featherweights. Usman Nurmagomedov is, to me, the best fighter out of that "Khabib Team" not named Khabib. The man is a stud in every aspect of the game. He's a real problem. 

On the opposite end of that spectrum, Islam Mamedov. Impressive win last night, but a win over Brent Primus means nothing to me. The dude's claim to fame is Michael Chandler rolling his ankle and a gogoplata win over Tim Wilde. He is overrated as hell and not a great measuring stick to decide who is elite at LW. Mamedov is Khabib minus everything that makes Khabib great. Sick wrestling, but does literally nothing from top position. You could argue Primus won last night and he spent 14.5 minutes on his back pretending he was Aoki with a god awful rubber-guard and failing. Super meh performance from Mamedov over a very meh and forgettable Brent Primus. 

Goiti Yamauchi is always a great watch, though.

* Edited at 08.02.2021, 12:29 AM ET *

As for people who continue to want any good fighter not in the UFC to be in the UFC despite the UFC being a watered down **** show lately; no. 

AJ McKee should stay as far away from the UFC as possible. The UFC has had a chance to sign AJ McKee during his hot streak in Bellator. They passed on him. Why? Because of petty beef with Antonio McKee - a super boring fighter who fought in the UFC 1x. 

They essentially told him to **** off because his dad was boring. That is more proof that the UFC is not about having the best fighters anymore. They are a pathetic organization and I think it's a great thing when great fighters are competing in other orgs. and thriving. Whether it be in America, Poland, Russia, or Japan. Stay there and be great. 

The UFC doesn't hold the same weight that it once did. Fighters don't need to go there to prove themselves anymore, and anyone who still has that mindset needs to re-evaluate imo.

Of course, it all comes down to money. It's up to Bellator to keep McKee and pay him accordingly, and I think they will do so. Stay with the company that gave you a shot when you were 0-0 and built you up to an 18-0 millionaire and champion. Don't ditch them for a promotion that makes billions, underpays their entire roster, and once denied you a shot because they didn't like the one UFC fight your dad had ten years ago. 

* Edited at 08.02.2021, 12:37 AM ET *

Well put. The UFC has seriously lost its flavors. It's that old brand of gum that doesn't compete anymore.
Giving me those vibes.