AJ McKee battles Salamat Isbulaev in the main event of PFL San Diego, and there are multiple tendrils attached to why this is a massive matchup. The former Bellator MMA champ is composed for this being his first time having an MMA fight in San Diego, and this came across when describing how he was doing, as AJ McKee said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Another day in paradise here in Southern California.”
Competing in a place like this, where he has such a rich localized history via Team Bodyshop, embodies his fighting namesake with such synchronicity. In delving into this, McKee stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“It’s a beautiful city. So just, big strong military background. Myself being the mercenary. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to just go out there and fight for those who fight for us. I’m pretty sure there’ll be a lot of vets, a lot of people there. So just give them a good show.”
AJ McKee has “to have adrenaline” and seeks that at PFL San Diego
McKee is now the tenured vet who is facing an undefeated individual. Isbulaev has a deep amateur resume, a spotless professional record, and a well-rounded skill set by all accounts. When touching on his envisioned idea of how he dispatches his opponent and puts that first 0 on the Kazakhstan fighter’s record, McKee said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Just go out there and do what I do best, kick a**, take names. He hasn’t been past the second round. So, I think just pushing this fight to a high pace and getting him to the second or third round. Continue to just fight hard all the way through from the first five to the last five.”
While there are more chapters in the story to unfurl, McKee is clearly thinking about the end of his MMA career and what could be next. The different career aspirations he has expressed interest in are fairly adrenaline-fueled pursuits, such as being a longshoreman, racer, or involved in law enforcement. When touching on why he seems to like putting the pedal to the metal in all aspects of his life, AJ McKee stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah. I’m here for a good time not a long time. So if I’m not having adrenaline in what I’m doing then there’s no point in it. Yeah, I got to have adrenaline. So, whatever. I think the long shoreman is probably the least adrenaline enthusiastic part of all the extra second career paths, but it’s good money.”
