Tag: A.J. McKee

Video: Is Cris Cyborg the No. 1 P4P in women’s MMA? What’s next for A.J. McKee? More on PFL: Battle of the Giants

Cris Cyborg continues to come up with big wins after he lopsided performance against Larissa Pacheco. We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

A lot happened outside the heavyweight main event at PFL: Battle of the Giants.

This past Saturday, MMA legend [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] returned to the cage to add yet another belt to her decorated career. She did so by defeating [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] in a hard-fought unanimous decision win. Cyborg wasn’t the lone champion in the card as [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] defended his Bellator middleweight title against [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag]. Bellator star [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] also competed but had his momentum halted by Ireland’s [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag].

Should Cyborg be considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in women’s MMA? What’s next for both Eblen and McKee?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George discuss some of the key results at Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants.  

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/cbzHrkO75mA

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030792]

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Francis Ngannou dominates, UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway preview, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Francis Ngannou’s successful MMA, the upcoming UFC 308 event, and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] reminded the MMA world why he’s one of the most terrifying fighters to ever set foot in the cage. This past Saturday, the former UFC heavyweight champion viciously stopped [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] in the main event of PFL: Battle of the Giants in Saudi Arabia. It was a big win that shook up the heavyweight landscape. Now that he’s back in MMA, can we say Ngannou remains the “Baddest Man on the Planet”? What should be next for Ngannou? We discuss.
  • Ngannou’s TKO win wasn’t the only thing that made headlines at PFL: Battle of the Giants. Women’s MMA legend [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] picked up a decision win over former PFL champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] defended his Bellator belt in a rematch against [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag], and [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag] pulled off an upset by defeating [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], among other things. We react to some of the key results on PFL’s pay-per-view event.
  • Over in the UFC side of things, [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] dominated [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245. It was a big win that put Hernandez on a six-fight winning streak, with five of those coming by stoppage. Is Hernandez a serious threat to the middleweight title? Where does Pereira go from here? We dissect the main event of UFC Fight Night 245.
  • Finally, it’s UFC 308 fight week. That’s right, in just a few days time, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] will defend his UFC featherweight title against [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] Preview in an extremely highly-anticipated matchup. There’s a lot on the line here. Could Topuria steal Fighter of the Year with a win over Holloway? Could a win cement Holloway as the greatest to ever do it at featherweight? We break down this championship fight along with other bog bouts in the card, including [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=103]

Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants: Best photos

Check out these photos from Paul Hughes vs. A.J. McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag]’ unanimous decision victory over A.J. McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)

PFL: Battle of the Giants results: Paul Hughes edges out A.J. McKee, calls out Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes’ striking proved to be too much for A.J. McKee in the main card opener of PFL: Battle of the Giants.

[autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag]’ striking proved to be too much for [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag].

Hughes (13-1) dropped McKee (22-2) early and fended off his grappling en route to a split decision win (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). The lightweight bout was the main card opener at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In Round 1, McKee backed Hughes to a corner with a flurry. Hughes broke free and almost landed a flying knee. McKee grabbed a hold of him and worked for a takedown. Hughes broke free again and threw another big knee. It was clear what McKee’s game plan was as he attempted another takedown. Hughes reversed and wound up in top position. McKee worked for a leg lock. As he got up, Hughes landed a big knee, followed by a big overhand right which dropped McKee.

The pace slowed down in Rounds 2 and 3 as McKee pressed Hughes against the cage. Hughes broke free and threw a flurry. An accidental low blow by McKee caused a break in the action. Hughes attempted a big knee and slipped, allowing McKee to capitalize by grabbing a hold of him and keeping him down. Hughes spent the rest of the fight trying to fend off McKee’s grappling, but he outstruck him throughout and caused more damage for the win.

With the win, Hughes made it seven straight and proceeded to call out Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

[vertical-gallery id=2780020]

Up-to-the-minute results of PFL: Battle of the Giants include:

[lawrence-related id=2779874,2779859]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Video: PFL press conference faceoffs with Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, Cyborg vs. Pacheco, more

The build to PFL: Battle of the Giants is getting stronger after the two superfight title bouts faced off at Thursday’s press conference.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The build to PFL: Battle of the Giants is getting stronger after seeing the two superfight title bouts face off at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

The inaugural heavyweight title contest of [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (17-3) vs. [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (13-3) and women’s featherweight championship matchup of [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (27-2) vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (13-3) had staredowns after answering questions from media members, and now weigh-ins are the remaining obstacle before fight night.

Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (15-0) also squared off with challenger [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (13-3) for their main card title rematch, and ex-Bellator champ [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (22-1) faced off with lightweight opponent [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag] (12-1).

Check out the press conference staredowns for Saturday’s event, which takes place at The Mayadeen and airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view and DAZN following prelims simulcasted on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

A.J. McKee: Win over ‘arrogant’ Paul Hughes gets me title shot vs. Usman Nurmagomedov

A.J. McKee is confident a win at PFL: Battle of the Giants gets him a crack at Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] believes there’s a lot riding on his next fight.

The former Bellator featherweight champion is confident a win over [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag] at Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants will get him a crack at the belt at 155 pounds, a title currently held by [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

“I think it’s an exciting matchup,” McKee told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “The fight everyone has wanted for the longest is Usman (Nurmagomedov) and I, so I think this is the fight to get to that fight. So yeah, with that being said, I just have to go handle business Saturday and onto bigger and better things.”

McKee (22-1) has been displeased by some of the things Hughes (12-1) has said ahead of their lightweight bout. Although there’s been trash talk on his end in past fights, McKee believes his approach is vastly different than Hughes.

“We’re completely two different human beings,” McKee said. “In my process and my journey I always had respect for Patricio where I don’t feel it’s a respect thing. I think he’s a little headstrong and arrogant, but that’s my personal opinion. But yeah, when we get locked in that cage on Saturday, it’s just him and I. All the smack talk and the jokes go out the window.”

Although setting his sight on Nurmagomedov, McKee understands Hughes is not an easy challenge and he’ll require his full attention this Saturday.

“I can’t look past Paul Hughes, but at the same time I know where I see myself and what it takes to be there.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

PFL: Battle of the Giants video: First faceoffs of fight week with Ngannou vs. Ferreira, more

PFL: Battle of the Giants headliners Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, along with others, got their first up-close look at each other Wednesday.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The first faceoffs of PFL: Battle of the Giants fight week are in the books, and MMA Junkie was on the scene to capture them.

In the main event, former UFC champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (17-3) takes on 2023 PFL champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (13-3) in a heavyweight clash. And in the co-main event, Bellator women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (27-2-1) meets two-time PFL champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (23-4). The promotion’s first super fights title belts are at stake in both fights.

Still three days before they meet in the cage, all four fighters got a chance to size each other up Wednesday at a promotional appearance. So, too, did Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] ahead of their rematch, as well as former Bellator champ [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag].

You can watch all four main card faceoffs in the video above.

PFL: Battle of the Giants takes place Saturday at The Mayadeen. The main card streams on DAZN and ESPN+ pay-per-view.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030792]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Francis Ngannou’s PFL debut, UFC 310, Topuria-Holloway heats up

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Francis Ngannou’s MMA return and PFL debut, UFC 310 bookings and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 244 saw the end of flyweight prospect Tatsuro Taira’s undefeated record. Recent title challenger Brandon Royval picked up his second win since he lost to champ Alexandre Pantoja this past December when he outpointed Taira in a hard-fought split decision. Does Royval deserve the next title shot? Where does Taira go from here? We discuss.
  • UFC CEO Dana White announced the headlining bouts for the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. A welterweight matchup between champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] headlines the event, with a flyweight championship fight between [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] and [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] in the co-main. We review these UFC 310  headlining bouts along with the overall strength of the card.
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] had a digital faceoff this past week ahead of their featherweight championship bout in the main event of UFC 308. The dual interview, organized by the UFC, had plenty of highlights and tense moments. We discuss some of the comments made by Topuria and Holloway, along with the news that [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] will serve as the backup for the fight.
  • Saturday, the PFL will put on arguably its biggest event yet – PFL: Battle of the Giants. The pay-per-view card features the highly anticipated return of former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag], who takes on [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] in the main event. Additionally, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] makes her PFL debut against [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] returns to action against [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag], and much more. We preview the card.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420039400]

A.J. McKee: Usman Nurmagomedov ‘the fight everybody’s wanted to see for quite some time now’

A.J. McKee is closing in on his desired shot at Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] is closing in on his desired shot at Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

But first, McKee (22-1) has to get past Paul Hughes (12-1) at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+).

McKee thinks him vs. Nurmagomedov (18-0) is the fight to make.

“I think it’s been the fight that everybody’s wanted to see for quite some time now,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “Obviously, myself catching staph through the tournament, something happened with him during the tournament  testing wise or whatever, so he went on a little suspension. But we just continue to fight, perfect our craft.

“I can’t really look past Paul Hughes, because styles make fights and every fight is a different fight. So for me, it’s staying focused on Paul Hughes. But after that Usman fight (vs. Alexandr Shabliy), Khabib (Nurmagomedov) did walk by and he goes, ‘See you in Dubai, brother,’ and I started laughing. It was just funny, because he knows I’m watching, why I’m there.”

Prior to retaining his title against Alexandr Shabliy in September, Nurmagomedov said he sees McKee as the top contender. McKee isn’t sure why he was booked against Hughes instead of being the next title challenger, but says a fight with Nurmagomedov is inevitable.

“I have no idea – he might need a little break,” McKee said. “I think that’s the next fight regardless, though. Khabib kind of said it to me, I’ve been veering for it for a minute, and I think everybody knows that’s the fight to make.

“I think that’s the fight they’re going to make. It’s the fight that kind of makes sense to make. But obviously, I’ve got to go do my job. It’s one more man in front of me. When you look at the stats, we all know who deserves that title shot, but I’ve just got one more step to prove.”

[lawrence-related id=2772140,2718106,2717983]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

MMA Junkie Radio #3504: Guests A.J. McKee and Mario Bautista, UFC preview, Ngannou, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Thursday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,504, the gentlemen welcome in guests [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]. They also previewed Saturday’s UFC card in Las Vegas and discussed the latest news, including Francis Ngannou’s retirement timeline, Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway getting heated, Dana White warming to a tournament and more. Tune in!