BELLATOR MMA 263 FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE, PHOTOS & WEIGH-IN VIDEO

BELLATOR MMA 263: PITBULL VS. MCKEE FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES AND PHOTOS 

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LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA’s Featherweight and Light-weight World Champion Patricio Pitbull (32-4) and undefeated top-ranked challenger AJ McKee (17-0) previewed their must-watch Featherweight World Grand Prix Closing and 145-pound title battle throughout a heated press convention on Thursday, simply two days earlier than they enter the cage in the principle occasion of Saturday night time’s BELLATOR 263 dwell on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from The Discussion board in Inglewood, Calif. Click on HERE to look at the change on the finish of at this time’s press convention.

The end result of the practically two-year featherweight event that includes the best BELLATOR athlete within the historical past of the promotion and the corporate’s greatest homegrown fighter of all-time comes with a one-million-dollar grand prize on the road.

Saturday’s thrilling card additionally options former featherweight title challenger and No. 2 ranked Emmanuel Sanchez versus Denmark’s No. 8 ranked Mads Burnell and light-weight bouts between Usman Nurmagomedov and Manny Muro and Brent Primus and Islam Mamedov. The SHOWTIME telecast opens with a light-weight bout between No. 5 ranked Goiti Yamauchi and Chris Gonzalez.

Here’s what Pitbull, McKee and their coaches needed to say Thursday:

Patricio Pitbull, BELLATOR Featherweight World Champion & BELLATOR Light-weight World Champion

“This is among the largest fights of my profession. I’ve fought a number of guys that had been very powerful too. I beat Michael Chandler which was revenge for me. Now’s a brand new alternative to point out my expertise.”

“He’s very nervous, he doesn’t need to be there within the cage. When your enemy is making a mistake, don’t interrupt him.”

I fought 4 instances towards somebody like McKee, it was Daniel Straus. I really feel comfy, I’ve a number of coaching companions in my fitness center like him.”

 

AJ McKee, No. 1 Ranked BELLATOR Featherweight & Featherweight World Grand Prix Finalist

“I plan on combating sensible, retaining my vary, and making him deliver the battle. Everybody goes on the market and rushes him, so let’s see what he does.”

“All my coaching in my total life has been constructed up for this second. I’ve been on massive levels since I used to be a child. He thinks I’m nervous however I believe that’s him attempting to self-reflect and push his little self on me.

“There’s undoubtedly lots on the road. Being undefeated, there’s an additional 0, it’s not simply the six in that verify I’m combating for. I’m combating to dwell up my legacy, proceed my father’s legacy, and be a champ. It’s now time for me to go get my belt.”

“At 18-0 within the group there’s nothing left for me within the division. What extra can I do? I need to go conquer the 155-pound title as nicely. I’ve been calling for it, earlier than anybody did it I stated I used to be going to be champ-champ. It’s time for me to go get my targets.”

“For 22 years I’ve been dreaming for this second. It’s now right here so that you embrace it and revel in each second of it, and also you proceed to construct off of it.”

“It’s not going to the championship rounds. He doesn’t need to go championship rounds, I do know that. If it comes right down to it I can battle 5 fives. The Pat Curran battle was an ideal instance, it was three 5 minute rounds of straightforward work. To do one other two rounds like that’s bread and butter.”

“Arduous work and dedication is the important thing. My three 12 months previous brother is a fitness center rat already. I would like him to battle for the love of the artwork of combating and for the love of the game.”

“You need to know what disrespect was? I requested Pitbull to signal a newspaper for my legacy and to hold up on my wall at some point. Disrespect was crossing my image out.”

“Bear in mind if you stated you had been going to beat my ass in entrance of my father? I’m going to beat your ass in entrance of your spouse and children. Now the disrespect is out. The cat is out of the bag now.”

Scott Coker, BELLATOR President

 

“It is a relaunch of Bellator. We have now had about 16 months of doing fights in a closed setting the place we now have needed to do fights with out an viewers. It’s been difficult for the fighters and the workers, and it’s been a grind, however we’re lastly right here.”

“We have now introduced some nice fights arising not simply domestically however worldwide. The battle this Saturday is an unbelievable predominant occasion. After I was watching the pairings I used to be actually sitting there hoping that A.J. and Pitbull can be the ultimate battle. Right here we’re 15 months later with $1 million on the road, the belt, and the event belt. I want each fighter’s good luck.”

“Pitbull has been the champ since this A.J. got here right here, that’s how lengthy he’s been taking good care of enterprise. That’s why this battle will probably be so fascinating.”

“Sports activities want followers, and followers want sports activities. The followers are the oxygen of the folks competing. When there’s no viewers it doesn’t imply folks can’t compete and do their greatest, however on the finish of the day I do consider the followers could make a distinction within the end result of a battle.”

“This battle made a number of sense for Los Angeles, and I’m glad we did it right here. It’s the correct place to have this battle.”

Antonio McKee, Group Bodyshop Head Coach

“We’re both psychic or we now have some sort of prophecy factor happening right here. This has all been written since he was three, it has occurred step-by-step. He wrote 1,000,000 greenback verify when he was ten years previous and he couldn’t even spell a million.

We want to verify we stock ourselves with respect and delight. We need to be revered and we need to be a trendsetter for individuals who need to do that sport. We need to be the instance.

It’s as much as him. He has the IQ when he’s on the market. He is aware of what he’s doing, I’ve a number of confidence in what he’s doing, and I consider in him.

We don’t discuss smack about Pitbull, we simply state information. My son is youthful, he’s longer, he’s stronger, he quicker, and he doesn’t have the identical mouth on him.”

BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee Principal Card:

Saturday, July 31 – Reside on SHOWTIME

10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT 

 

Featherweight World Title Principal Occasion: C-Patricio Pitbull (32-4) vs. #1-AJ McKee (17-0)

Featherweight Bout: #2-Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) vs. #8-Mads Burnell (15-3)

Light-weight Bout: Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) vs. Manny Muro (12-6)

Light-weight Bout: Brent Primus (10-1) vs. Islam Mamedov (19-1-1)

Light-weight Bout: #5-Goiti Yamauchi (25-5) vs. Chris Gonzalez (6-0)

Preliminary Card:

BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports activities YouTube Channel | Pluto TV

7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

 

Girls’s Flyweight Bout: #10-Vanessa Porto (22-9) vs. Ilara Joanne (9-5)

150 lb. Contract Weight Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (15-4-2) vs. Daniel Carey (7-4)

Featherweight Bout: Khasan Magomedsharipov (5-0) vs. Jonathan Quiroz (3-4)

180 lb. Contract Weight Bout: Joshua Jones (10-5) vs. Johnny Cisneros (13-7)

Light-weight Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (8-2)

Bantamweight Bout: Brian Moore (13-7) vs. Jordan Winski (11-2)

190 lb. Contract Weight Bout: Justin Barry (professional debut) vs. Daniel Compton (4-3)

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