Bellator's A.J. McKee aspires to be 'Mayweather of MMA' and beat Jon Jones' record

A.J. McKee is only 22, but he has grand aspirations for his career, such as claiming a Bellator belt before his next birthday.

When it comes to fighters who have won major titles early in their career, Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) stands out above all. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion was the youngest to win a UFC belt when he did at 23, but McKee (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) said he can do better than “Bones.”

McKee made some history at Bellator 178 on April 21, when he became just the second Bellator fighter to record eight consecutive wins after scoring a vicious first-round head-kick knockout of Dominic Mazzotta (watch the highlights above). McKee intends on carrying that momentum until the Bellator featherweight title is around his waist.

“This is just the beginning,” McKee told MMAjunkie. “That’s one record of many records I plan on breaking. I plan on being the youngest champ ever. Jon Jones was 23 when he did it, so I’ve got a full year to beat that coming from April. (I also want to keep) being undefeated, keep that 0 and be the (Floyd) Mayweather of MMA. Just keep breaking records.”

As the son of MMA veteran Antonio McKee, A.J. McKee has always faced heightened expectations. He’s spent all eight of his career fights under the Bellator banner and has already displayed a rapid rate of development.

However, McKee said he slipped mentally prior to the win at Bellator 178. He had back-to-back decision victories on his record, which had never happened previously. He said those results were a product of getting complacent, though he changed it. McKee said his focus was locked in on Mazzotta, and the knockout win was an example of what he’s capable of with the proper mental approach.

“I just kind of had a point to prove,” McKee said. “I started to get bored training every day for months and months at a time. … It gets boring. You get burnt out. You don’t feel like training. You don’t feel like doing it any more. But I’m still in there, even if I don’t feel like doing it. Just really locking down and having that motivation was key to this camp. I’m looking forward to moving forward and getting some big fights and moving forward and getting that belt around my waist.”

Although McKee’s biggest goal for the next year is to claim the Bellator title, many factors are at play. Bellator featherweight champ Patricio Freire (26-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) is likely to next defend his title against Daniel Weichel (39-9 MMA, 8-1 BMMA), but no clear-cut No. 1 contender exists after that.

McKee said he could be that guy, but that’s assuming his future rests with Bellator. “The Mercenary” said he has only a pair of fights left on his Bellator contract, and negotiating for a title shot could come in to play when deciding whether to re-sign with the promotion.

McKee isn’t concerned, though. He said he’s been happy with how Bellator has handled his career so far, adding that he doesn’t envision an end to their relationship coming soon. Anything can happen once a fighter hits free agency, but McKee said it makes sense for him to stay put.

“I’ve got a couple more fights left on this contract,” he said. “I’ll finish out my contract and see what Bellator has to offer and how we can go about those top-five fights.

“I love Bellator. Bellator takes care of me and is treating me well. I don’t look forward to leaving unless there’s some real big misunderstandings, but Bellator is very understanding, so I don’t see that happening at all. Bellator is my home. I don’t plan on leaving.”

The fact McKee is within striking range of a title shot is one motivation to stay. Another is a goal that, frankly, could be completed only under the Bellator banner: fight on the same night and same card as his father, Antonio, who hasn’t competed since November 2014 but serves as the head coach to his son.

McKee said fighting at the same event as his father would be a unique experience he would remember for the rest of his life.

“(I’ll fight on the same card as my dad) before the end of this year, for sure,” he said. “I’m shooting for the end of this year, especially with me blowing up right now and pulling the ratings and doing what I’m doing. That’s something ESPN and ‘SportsCenter’ and all these big-name companies can pick up and really push. Not just for Bellator but for the organization and me, as well.”

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.