Tomorrow night in the main event of Bellator 277, the featherweight title is on the line in a rematch. This rematch will pit the featherweight champion AJ McKee (18-0) against the former champion and all time Bellator great, Patricio Pitbull (32-5).
These two men first fought last July in the finale of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix. That night, McKee shocked the world when he stopped Patricio Pitbull in the first round. People weren’t shocked McKee won, but the dominant fashion that he did stunned everyone.
Now, they run things back in an immediate rematch. The loss to McKee was Pitbull’s first loss since 2016 when a leg injury caused him to lose to Benson Henderson. He hadn’t lost at featherweight since 2015.
Pitbull is hoping to regain his status as the top dog in the promotion. AJ McKee made his professional debut with Bellator in 2015. He fought seventeen times before he earned his shot at Pitbull. When he got the shot, he didn’t disappoint when he choked him out in the first round at Bellator 263.
Bellator 277 Prediction
This is a huge fight for Bellator fans as these are arguably the two best pound for pound fighters in the promotion. That being said, I think that one man in this fight has a very sizable advantage and that is the champion AJ McKee.
McKee’s strongest part of his game is his grappling and submissions. That being said, his striking has really come along and he’s showing now just how dangerous he is on the feet. Looking back at Bellator 263, it was a headkick that started everything for McKee.
In all honesty, I’m having a hard time finding a path to victory for Pitbull in this fight. For him to win, he needs to invest in leg kicks and the body. If he tries to headhunt, he’s going to get picked apart from the outside.
If he can chop down McKee with leg and body attacks, he could have a path to regaining his Bellator featherweight title. That being said, I just don’t see it. I think McKee is going to coast in this one on his way to another finish and show the world that he’s one of the very best regardless of promotion.
Prediction: AJ McKee by TKO – Round 2