A.J. McKee kept his momentum rolling at featherweight, earning a unanimous decision win over Salamat Isbulaev in the PFL San Diego main event at Pechanga Arena.
The result gives McKee three consecutive decision victories since returning to the 145-pound division under the PFL banner in an 11-month span, and moves his professional record to 25-2.
McKee, the son of former UFC fighter Antonio McKee, leaned into his family legacy afterward. "I'm the only second-generation fighter that's in here making noise like this. The last name McKee has reigned in mixed martial arts since the beginning of time. My father was fighting in the '90s."
He added that the name is here to stay. "So for me, it's not a surprise. It's appreciated that our last name gets the respect that it deserves in this game. We're not going nowhere. We're two, three generations deep. (My 9-year-old) little bro (Mason), you see him walking around here same way I was walking around Tapout shows as a kid. This is what we do. We're here. We're taking over."
McKee has recently competed across Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Spain, and previously lost the Bellator featherweight title back to Patricio Freire in 2022 before a five-fight run at lightweight that ended with a split decision loss to Paul Hughes a little less than two years ago.
With the PFL currently without a 145-pound champion, McKee’s latest win further solidifies his place in the organization’s featherweight field.
