A.J. McKee has made a statement in his return to featherweight, defeating Akhmed Magomedov via decision in the PFL Champions Series 2 portion of PFL Cape Town.
Round one saw both men trading strikes early, with Magomedov landing cleaner on the body and scoring a takedown. McKee, however, threatened submissions off his back and reversed position. McKee also turned up his striking pace late in the round.
Magomedov scored an early takedown in round two, but McKee quickly reversed and took the back with a body triangle. He hunted for a choke and struck Magomedov while maintaining control. McKee’s pressure was key for him in the second round.
Another grappling-heavy exchange in the final round saw Magomedov land a takedown, only to be swept and caught in a triangle attempt. McKee continued to threaten, taking Magomedov’s back again and landing strong ground-and-pound.
McKee scored a unanimous decision for the win.
A.J. McKee Successful In Featherweight Return, Defeats Akhmed Magomedov At PFL Cape Town
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...
McKee had won four straight between Bellator and PFL since moving up to lightweight but came up short against Paul Hughes in a close split decision at PFL Battle of the Giants in October.
Magomedov has now lost two of his last three. He defeated Nathan Kelly in January — his first fight in over two years after losing to Henry Corrales.
