Part I: The grand prix

From the very beginning of the Bellator featherweight grand prix, the storyline was set: on one side, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, the then-reigning featherweight champ and Bellator’s most decorated fighter. In the other bracket, AJ McKee, Bellator’s biggest homegrown talent.

It played out perfectly. Pitbull and McKee smashed through their opponents, fully earning their positions in the tournament’s finale. Bellator’s greatest ever vs. Bellator’s next generation with the championship and a $1,000,000 prize on the line.

McKee won in less than two minutes. After some jockeying for range, he caught Pitbull off guard with a headkick and locked in a standing choke.

AJ McKee, a second generation fighter, handpicked by Scott Coker to eventually be the face of his promotion, had proved he was worthy of half a decade of hype.

Part II: The rematch

But there was an element of fool’s gold to the win. Pitbull didn’t actually tap out to the choke. It had been determined that he had gone unconscious by the referee who stopped the fight when he saw the Brazilian’s arm go limp.

A rematch was booked for Bellator 273 the following year and it couldn’t have been more different. It was a full five rounds of thoughtful, technical martial arts. At the end Pitbull was deemed the winner by unanimous decision, getting back his win - and his championship - from McKee.

Now 1-1, talk of a trilogy began immediately. However, AJ wasn’t ready for an instant rematch - he later admitted the loss put him into a severe depression that he needed time to overcome - so at Bellator 286, Pitbull was set to face the next contender for his crown while McKee fought in a new weight division.

Part III: The further adventures

AJ McKee def. Spike Carlyle (Unanimous decision: 29-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Following 19 fights at featherweight, McKee made his debut at lightweight against Spike Carlyle. He did well on the regional circuit, then lost two out of three in the UFC and retuned to the lower leagues where he put together a five fight win streak leading up to the McKee bout.

As soon as the fight began, it became clear why.

Having entered the cage dressed as Hulk Hogan, he fought not as a pro wrestler but as a video game character. He ran across to AJ once the bell rang and started swinging. He was wild and energetic; sloppy without being a brawler.

In doing so, he was the perfect foil for McKee. AJ was willing to get wild himself, but he’s much more skilled and it wasn’t long before he had Carlyle timed. Using counter hooks and jumping knees, he really started to hurt this opponent.

The same thing happened on the ground: Carlyle’s quick guillotine jumps and back takes were vastly overmatched by McKee’s advanced wrestling and BJJ skills.

Carlyle only survived due to sheer dog-toughness. In the second and third rounds, McKee must have regretted hitting him so hard in the opening stanza as Spike’s blood had mixed with the sweat to make him too slick to really hold down and finish.

Patricio Pitbull def. Adam Borics (Unanimous decision: 48-47, 49-46, 50-45)

Although both Pitbull and his opponent, Hungary’s Adam Borics, are well versed in muay thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and freestyle wrestling, their featherweight championship fight mostly resembled point karate.

They bounced in and out on their toes trying to measure each other’s range, and for good reason. The theory is that at 5’6”, Pitbull is considerably smaller than his 5’10” foe, so he didn’t want to be kept on the outside.

Halfway through the first round, Borics leapt forwards with one of his trademark flying knees and found himself caught by a jab. As the challenger found out, the reality is that Pitbull is so good at close range fighting that he would have to figure out how to get in and get out without getting stung.

Much to the crowds chagrin, he couldn’t do it. After his second attempt at a flying knee, which this time was turned into a takedown, Borics hung on the outside, jabbing here, leg kicking there, unable to put any combinations together.

For his part, Pitbull stayed wary and stuck to his game of counters. He didn’t land much. He didn’t have to. His inside right hook repeatedly wobbled Borics, the leg kicks had him stumbling and his back takes didn’t threaten submissions, but they did tire his opponent. Borics couldn’t do anything to him, Pitbull didn’t have to do any more.

Part IV: The cliffhanger ending?

After his fight, McKee said he felt good at 155lbs and want to compete in next year’s lightweight grand prix while, after his win, Pitbull said he wants to cut down to 135lbs to try and become the first-ever triple weight champ. These two dominant wins should have lined up Pitbull and McKee together for a finale to their feud. Instead, it seems Bellator’s biggest storyline has ended without a conclusion.

[Header: AJ McKee poses with the Bellator MMA featherweight championship while talking to commentator John McCarthy following his victory in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix at Bellator 263 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, U.S. on July 31, 2021 /Bellator MMA