Shinya Aoki vs. Antonio McKee Finally Signed for Dream ‘Fight for Japan’

Antonio McKee at UFC 125

The revolving door of opponents for Shinya Aoki for the upcoming Dream ‘Fight for Japan’ show has finally stopped swinging. Antonio McKee is the fighter who will step up to the challenge.

Dream officials confirmed the bout on Sunday.

MMAWeekly.com first reported McKee’s possible involvement for the fight a couple of weeks back, but because he still had to wait for a visa, Dream continued to look for other possible opponents.

Among them was former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner, but in the end the Japanese promotion opted to go with McKee once he secured his visa. Former UFC fighter Willamy Freire was also in the running, but he could not secure a visa in time and he was pulled from the fight as well.

McKee hasn’t appeared since his lone fight in the UFC in which he came up short losing a split decision to Jacob Volkmann. Following the loss, McKee was unceremoniously released from the promotion, and will now take a shot at Aoki to get back on track.

The bout will take place at the Dream ‘Fight for Japan’ show, which will also kick off the Dream Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix. Several other bouts will be featured as well.