Age is just a number for Antonio McKee… While his son AJ looks like a destroyer…
Antonio McKee came out of retirement to fight for the first time in five years. The 49-year-old is the father of fellow Bellator fighter AJ McKee. In fact, the younger McKee was in his father’s corner on the night and then went on and fought himself later on in the night.
It’s an outrageous story and they’ve become the first father-and-son duo to fight and win on a major MMA promotion’s card in the US. Now let’s get Abdulmanap Nurmagamedov and Khabib against Conor McGregor and John Kavanagh.
Check out the footage of Antonio McKee, beating some old can in his comeback fight. We’ve no idea why he wanted to risk his health, but this fighter moves like a man half of his age.
He doesn't fight like he's 49! 🗣️
Antonio Mckee picks up the TKO victory! @BellatorMMA #Bellator228 pic.twitter.com/fwjxEEXNvr
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 29, 2019
Age is Just a Number
The elder Mckee fought 47-year-old Williams Sriyapai on the main card of Bellator 228 in Inglewood, California. We’ve no idea why this fight was allowed to go ahead, but hey, this is MMA. Anyway, the finish came in the second round after McKee – an undefeated two-division state wrestling champion – managed to take down Syriapai.
He landed heavy ground-and-pound until referee Mike Beltran had seen enough and put a stop to the fight. This was definitely a mismatch, but it is kind of inspiring that he was able to get the win that he wanted.
AJ McKee knocks out Georgi in 8 seconds! #Bellator228 pic.twitter.com/8VytSl2B58
— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) September 29, 2019
Wrecking Ball
Meanwhile, AJ McKee, Antonio’s son, looks like one of the most dangerous featherweights on the planet. He melted Georgi Karakhanyan in just eight seconds to seal his place in Bellator’s Featherweight Grand Prix. It was the second-fastest finish in Bellator history. One overhand left sent McKee’s victim to the canvas. A bit of ground-and-pound and that was it.
”I want my motherf*king belt,” the younger McKee said after the fight. “Winner-winner, chicken dinner, Let’s go! I want my belt, but I don’t think he’s going for that. Duck and dodge – I think it’s coming sooner than later.”
At this rate, you wouldn’t bet against him getting it. He looks incredibly dangerous as he advances to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Bellator has quietly built a very competitive featherweight division and McKee looks like the real deal.
Gegard @mousasi_mma was in a good mood after his #Bellator228 win and held nothing back when speaking about Rafael Lovato Jr. 😂🐎🍼
▶️Full video: https://t.co/rmL9ypCGME pic.twitter.com/nLsFKe2QUy
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) September 29, 2019
Main Event
Elsewhere, in the main event, it was a clash of two former UFC fighters. Former champion Lyoto Machida took on Gegard Mousasi in a rematch. The Brazilian already held a win over the former middleweight champion. However, Mousasi was determined to get his revenge so that he could get another title shot in the near future.
In short, he succeeded as he managed to force Machida to come towards him. This meant that it wasn’t the most fun fight for fans to watch, but tactically Mousasi got it right. ‘The Dragon’ is a counterstriker so this was a massive strategy for Mousasi, who won the split-decision.
“I had to fight this way, I couldn’t take a lot of risks,” Gegard Mousasi said after the fight. “I had to fight like this.”
