Featherweights
A.J. McKee (14-0) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (28-9-1)McKee has spent his entire career fighting under the Bellator banner. The 14-0 blue-chip prospect has slowly been given higher level tests with each bout and has passed each so far with flying colors. The 24-year old won’t be getting a slow incline anymore as he has to swim with the sharks now in the Grand Prix. The second-generation mixed martial artist -- his father, Antonio McKee, is fighting on the prelims -- is a confident fighter, already calling for a fight with champion Freire.
McKee is a well-rounded featherweight with long arms and leg, and a very fast and athletic southpaw striker who likes to do damage on the feet from distance. He works from the outside behind his long jab and slick footwork. His check left hook and push kick to the body keep his opponents from being able to slide into a closer range. The California native loves flashy moves like spinning back kicks. His high kick is fast and has the ability to separate fighters from consciousness. The scary thing is that he is at the age where he just might be starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
The Team Bodyshop member is also a very strong wrestler, who usually gets his takedowns when his opponent tries to rush past McKee’s reach and leaves himself open to be timed for a double leg takedown. His long arms help him lock up submissions while battling in a scramble. His favorite chokes are the anaconda and guillotine. “The Mercenary” has only been taken down once in his career, and made Pat Curran pay for it with slicing elbows from the bottom.
Karakhanyan enters the bout as a very large underdog, but being that he has twice the number of wins that his young opponent has, shouldn’t be counted out completely. The 34-year-old is a bit of a jack of all trades but a master of none when it comes to MMA. He is competent on both the feet and the ground but not elite in either area.
“Insane” has tons of defensive flaws in his striking. He has a penchant for carrying his hands low and inviting his foe into a brawl. He is willing to bite down on his mouthpiece and throw wild winging hooks. He gambles that his chin will hold up before his opponents, and considering he has only been stopped twice in a 13-year-career, he has usually bet correctly. His striking becomes more of a threat when he adds leg kicks.
The Millenia MMA product often looks to take his opponents to the canvas but struggles to take down accomplished wrestlers due to shooting from a far distance and not setting up his attacks with striking. When he is on top, he does well at latching on to a single limb to help sustain top control. He will pepper his opponent with ground-and-pound, but usually looks for a fight ending submission, and has succeeded at it 14 times.
McKee appears to be looking past Karakhanyan, as he has spent more time talking about “Pitbull” in his pre-fight interviews than his opening round opponent. This attitude could be the downfall of the young prospect, but I don’t believe it will. The more film study I do on McKee, the more impressed I am with his skills. He appears to be sharpening his tools with the more experience he collects and should continue the trend on Saturday. He simply is better than Karakhanyan in every area and it is really his fight to lose. I think McKee rises to the occasion and dominates his fellow Californian en route to an easy lopsided decision victory.