Coker Praises Undefeated Prospect Mckee
Undefeated Bellator featherweight prospect A.J. McKee got yet another win — and his finish was praised by many in the jiu-jitsu community.
McKee advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix following an impressive third-round armbar finish of Derek Campos at Bellator Hawaii on Saturday. The win continued to show McKee’s all-round game with 11 of his 16 wins coming by way of finish (six knockouts, five submissions).
.@ajmckee101 moves to 16-0 & one step close to $1,000,000! #FeatherweightWGP pic.twitter.com/HjGUjRYeZg
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 22, 2019
And the armbar finish in particular, impressed Bellator president Scott Coker especially after what was a scrappy contest for the most part.
“I think A.J. was in a little scrap, and I think he learned a lot tonight,” Coker told media after the event. “I think he probably had to dig a little deeper than maybe he thought he was going to have to. He’s scrappy, the opponent is scrappy, and he is just rough and tough, and he got caught, I think, once or twice in there. I think that A.J. learned a lot, but I will say this — that submission at the end was unbelievable.
“When a fighter finds a way to win, that really tells a lot about their character because he said, ‘I’m not going to lose this fight, I’m going to go out and submit this guy.’ Or in his mind, ‘I’m going to knock him out, I’m going to submit him.’ He found a way to win and man, sometimes that’s what it takes. It’s just that will to win, and he caught him.”
Coker wasn’t the only one impressed — many in the jiu-jitsu community such as Renzo and Royce Gracie also had praise for McKee’s fight-ending move.
“I was talking to Renzo Gracie and Royce and all the jiu-jitsu community, and they’re like, ‘oh my God, that was one of the sickest submissions I’ve ever seen,’” he added.
If McKee continues to impress, it’ll only be a matter of time until he’s Bellator champion.
