A.J. “Mercenary” McKee

Higher and higher! The rise of Antonio De Carlo McKee Jr. has been unprecedented in the world of mixed martial arts. After leaving his mark on the amateur wrestling and MMA circuits, A.J. McKee joined the professional Bellator MMA ranks in 2015, and nothing’s been the same since. The young upstart who trains at BodyShop Fitness Team in Lakewood, California, already owns the record for most consecutive victories in Bellator MMA history, as well as most submission wins in Bellator Featherweight history. And he’s far from finished! The secret? Perhaps it’s expert coaching from his father, MMA icon Antonio McKee, who already mentored certified legends like Rampage Jackson and Chuck Liddell. It’s also A.J. McKee’s unpredictable fighting style, mixing jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, karate, wrestling, and karate into a lethal and spontaneous blend. And definitely his natural ability for finding any opponent’s weak spot and using it to score spectacular finishes again and again. A.J. McKee has been waiting patiently for a title shot, defeating bona fide former World Champions along the way, and his time is near. In his own words: “You’re either a game changer or a placeholder. What do you think I am?”