Another fight, another win for Bellator MMA featherweight prospect AJ McKee. The 24-year-old phenom improved to 14-0 with a shutout decision over former champion Pat Curran on the main card of Bellator 221 in Rosemont, Illinois. It was hardly a scintillating performance in terms of action, but it was a composed, complete showing from McKee as he landed the better strikes and did more damage on the ground. Curran was busted up from elbows from the bottom in round two, and just didn’t have answers for McKee’s control of range and ability to cover distance so quickly. It was very much a feel-out process early in round one, but McKee was slightly more aggressive and was able to turn a Curran kick into a takedown. McKee landed a couple of strikes on the ground and then a knee as Curran returned to his feet. AJ was able to control distance and prevent Curran from really being effective offensively for much of the opening frame. McKee threw a flurry of shots after they both threw kicks but Curran fell down. Curran wasn’t terribly bothered but he definitely dropped the round. McKee fired off a couple of leg kicks to begin round two. It was still a bit of a slow grind and the crowd let them both hear it. McKee was able to get the fans excited with a good combination against the fence, as Curran continued to struggle with McKee’s kicks and ability to cover distance. The former champion secured a takedown with under two minutes left in the round, and McKee turned that into offense with several elbows from his back. For the most part, Curran had position but not much actual offense. The strikes from the bottom actually cut Curran open. Curran’s inactivity continued to be a problem in round three, as McKee was landing more and throwing more. A rare moment of success saw him stuff a McKee takedown and then slam home a knee up the middle. A longer shot from McKee was stuffed by Curran initially, but McKee chained his takedowns together and completed it in the final minute. Nothing else really happened of note from there, and McKee would soon have his hand raised again. Official result: AJ McKee def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)<doc-sep>AJ McKee Jr. will take on Pat Curran at this weekend’s Bellator 221, but the “Mercenary” really wants a featherweight title fight. McKee, 24, is one of mixed martial arts’ brightest young prospects. He has compiled an unbeaten record of 13-0 and will look to make it 14 straight this weekend in Chicago, Illinois. While McKee may not be getting his wish to fight for the title in the Windy City, he will be fighting a former Bellator featherweight champion in Curran. “This is the most focused I’ve ever been,” McKee told LowkickMMA. “I’m looking forward to going in there and making a statement. I always say I like to make statements.” McKee points out that he and Curran were scheduled to meet once before in September of 2018. However, Curran was forced to pull out, and well, McKee did what he already told you he likes to do – he made a statement. “No one had finished John Macapa when Pat pulled out, so I was like ‘I’m going to make a statement with John Macapa.’ And I went in there and knocked him out in less than a minute.” After the Macapa fight, McKee met Daniel Crawford at Bellator 212 in Honolulu, Hawaii, all the while calling out the featherweight champion Pitbull brother. That brings us to this weekend’s Bellator 221. McKee is fighting on the same card as Patricio Pitbull. Pitbull will look to become the promotion’s second double champ when he faces lightweight champion Michael Chandler in the main event in Chicago. He had a pair of harsh messages for Freire in closing: The “Mercenary’s” message for Pitbull: You’re gonna go get knocked the hell out by Chandler. Then, I want to knock his ass out before the Grand Prix as well.”<doc-sep>When Pat Curran steps into the cage at Bellator 221, he won’t be making a comeback, he’ll simply be returning. Having not fought since 2017 and dealing with injuries as he attempted to make a return in 2018, former Bellator champion Pat Curran will be looking to extend his three-fight winning streak when he takes on the undefeated A.J. McKee at Bellator 221 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Curran spoke to MyMMANews after the Bellator 221 press conference where he addressed his matchup with McKee, why he doesn’t consider this his return fight, and how fighting in his hometown brings a sense of comfort throughout camp. First things first for Curran, he wants to set the record straight, this is not a comeback. Becoming a father, dealing with injuries, and trying to live a regular working life were all what he prioritized while he was away from fighting. “I don’t really consider it a comeback, I’ve always been involved with the sport, I just stepped away for a short period of time to just kind of reset. I wanted to do things that I’m not used to doing. You know instead of being a full-time athlete, I wanted to get a full-time job, work a normal 9-5, work 40 hours a week, obviously it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. It kind of re-motivated me in a sense. I was dealing with a couple of injuries as well but of course it all worked out.” While time away from the sport helped light the fire of motivation under Curran again, becoming a father was just as instrumental as the time away. Going through a full training camp six days a week never stopped Curran for keeping his family first, and he knows that if he continues his winning ways, he’ll set up a great future for his son and family. “I am doing a full training camp, six days a week, Monday through Saturday, all while being a full-time father. It’s just more motivation. I can focus on training all while keeping my son in the back of my mind as well, knowing that I can provide a better life for him if I continue to win. That’s all the motivation I need. I want him to be successful in life and I want him to have a better life than I had, so me winning this fight means everything in that sense.” Facing a rising and undefeated contender like A.J. McKee definitely comes with a challenge, but after McKee called Curran the “toughest opponent he’s ever faced”, Curran understands that there’s a job to be done. “That statement goes for him and myself. Anybody at this level when you get to a certain point in your career, your next opponent is the next big stud, the next big thing for your career. It’s well deserved for him, he’s 13-0, he’s been knocking everybody out, and I want to be that test for him. I want to see how good he actually is. I don’t think he’s as good as everyone thinks he is, and I want to expose him on Saturday night. I believe I’m the better fighter in every area in the game and I’m very confident in my abilities.” As he prepares to make his return to the cage, Curran says there’s a sense of comfort in getting ready for a fight in the comfort of his backyard, because he can do a lot of work in his comfort zone. “It helps out a lot. I’m not traveling at all which has been great cause I have the convenience of training at home, focusing on my diet, and being around my son. This is my normal routine, I’m used to it and it helps especially when I’m doing all the media stuff as well. It just makes life a little bit easier and smoother.” Looking to expose the undefeated McKee, take advantage of the luxury of being home in his backyard, Pat Curran plans to showcase what made him a champion earlier in his career. “I’m looking to show the complete package. Every time I go in the cage I want to make sure I am a better version of myself than my last fight, and I truly believe that’s going to happen. I’m going to continue to improve my game in all areas and I believe that A.J. is the perfect example for me to go out there and showcase what I’m able to do in front of the crowd.” That crowd will most certainly be loud and strong for Pat Curran as he steps in for another fight, not a comeback fight, as he also looks to halt the rising hype train of the undefeated A.J. McKee. For Pat Curran, being a better martial artist from his last fight to this fight is one thing, but to continue to provide a great life for his child and family is the main focus as he heads into this fight. Mike Pendleton Mike Pendleton is a current contributor to MyMMANews, BJPenn.com, and TheScrap.Co while also hosting his “On The Mic” podcast and works as an Associate Producer on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation channel. With a special passion for interviewing and talking to some of the very best around the fight game, you can read or listen to Mike’s work across his multiple outlets. Follow me on Twitter: @MP2310 See author's posts<doc-sep>
Each day as he travels from his two-bedroom apartment toward the gym where he trains in mixed martial arts, unbeaten Bellator fighter A.J. McKee sizes up his dream house on the grounds of the Long Beach Country Club. “There’s this all-wood house built in the ’60s, sitting on about 2 ½ acres. It’s the most beautiful home,” McKee, 24, said. “I’d get a membership and start golfing.” McKee’s vision requires winning a string of fights, and the mission takes him to Rosemont, Ill., for Bellator 221 on Saturday night, when he meets former two-time champion Pat Curran (23-7) on a card headlined by the meeting of lightweight champion Michael Chandler versus featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Friere. “I’m looking to sustain a lifestyle for my family. I want to buy my dad a house so my little brother can have his own room. There’s things that people don’t see on the back end of my life that motivate me. That’s a whole different fuel to my fire,” McKee said. McKee’s father is retired MMA veteran Antonio McKee, who went unbeaten for nearly eight years before reaching the UFC. Antonio McKee now runs a gym in Lakewood, BodyShop Fitness, where his son trains alongside Bellator’s elite prospect Aaron Pico, unbeaten welterweight Joey Davis and Kimbo Slice’s son, Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson. “The only reason I do this is for my father,” A.J. McKee said. “He never got the recognition and respect he deserved in his career, because it’s a sport and it’s politics at the same time. He might not have been the most entertaining fighter … but at the end of the day, he was [long] undefeated and no one can take that away from him. “That’s where I come in to play. This is my time now, my time to shine, and I’ll make sure the last name McKee gets all the recognition it deserves.” McKee’s undertaking starts Saturday against Curran, 31, as part of a card streamed on DAZN starting at 6 p.m. PDT. “Pat Curran is really good at reading movement, so if you’re a fighter who has habits or patterns, he’ll capitalize on that,” McKee said. “I’m very sporadic, unorthodox, all over the place — so I’m going to be throwing different things from different angles and I expect that to work to my advantage. “It’ll be a good stylistic test against a two-time champion and I look forward to trying to do something no one else has done. None of the champions have finished Pat. So if I can, that’s a big statement in the world of MMA.” While Bellator President Scott Coker will place McKee in a 16-fighter featherweight tournament this year, McKee (13-0) is hopeful that by beating Curran, he’ll earn an immediate title shot at Pitbull Friere. “I want Pitbull next. … It’s a fight that’s been built for three years. Let me [beat him] once and let him try to get his revenge in the tournament,” McKee said. “My main focus is still that belt. The Grand Prix is great — $1 million is a great prize — but my focus has always been the belt, whether it comes in the Grand Prix or not.” Sign up for our boxing and MMA newsletter » The readiness is rooted, McKee says, in the bond with his Southland stablemates. Having long aspired to become “the Floyd Mayweather of MMA,” he admits his work ethic needed to catch up to his confidence. “As you get older, you start to mature. I have some positive examples around and with me having these skills, I’ve wondered, ‘What can I possibly be if I really buckled down for three years like that instead of dibbling and dabbling in and out?’” McKee said. “It’s been an eye-opener for me, and it’s got me on the path I need to be. … There’s a brotherhood. We all sweat, fight and bleed together and if we’ve got a [disagreement], scrap it out.” The effort is aimed at freeing McKee’s mind as he shoulders his father’s unfinished legacy and the thought of one day kicking up his heels inside the country club. “I’m working as hard as I can so I can become content. When I get content, that will be no longer stressing about having to do this and needing to get all this done,” he said. lance.pugmire@latimes.com Twitter: @latimespugmire