AJ McKee says there 'isn't enough money in the fight game' to pit him against his friend Aaron Pico
Bellator sensation AJ McKee has made his position on a hypothetical fight against friend Aaron Pico very clear. McKee says he would never do it, preferring to retire than face his friend and former teammate in battle.
"Loyalty is royalty," McKee said. "Even though he left (Team Bodyshop), that's still my boy. It's a childhood friend. That's my boy."
McKee did not want to elaborate on the reason behind Pico leaving the Team Bodyshop.
"There are things, personally, that I know that were going on (with Pico). I'm not going to expose his life and the reasons why he left, but it is what it is. That's still my boy. He knows what it is."
Besides McKee and Pico being former teammates, they are childhood friends and are coming up the ranks of Bellator together. While McKee is enjoying an undefeated run, Pico has had ups and downs. The latter's record is some way below McKee's at six wins and two losses.
The speculation about McKee fighting his best friend is not new for him. The supposition of a fight between the two is a normal one when both are in the same division competing for the same goal.
"I can't lose a friend and a brother over some money, over entertainment," McKee said. "If it's that serious for you, and you want that limelight, you can have it. Because it's not that serious for me. I'm pretty sure we'll both be taken care of – more than – financially at that point, where we wouldn't even have to be in the area to fight for that much money. I'm OK. It's not that serious. I've known Pico since we were about five years old. We were kids running around, tearing up together."
Ironically enough, McKee's nickname is 'The Mercenary'. Teased to at least imagine how a fight between the two would be, McKee treated the situation with good humor.
"If we were to ever even decide, it would probably be the last fight of our career. It would probably be some trillion-dollar fight that everyone was going to see. And we would ask for a trillion dollars each because that's what we agreed on, but I would never want to fight him. I would honestly rather retire than fight my brother and my friend like that. Because why would I want to inflict pain upon a brother? I don't know; I'm not like that."
AJ McKee could become the new face of Bellator if he goes to win the featherweight title
After beating Darrion Caldwell in the Bellator 253 main event, AJ McKee knows the chances his next fight will be coronated with a Bellator featherweight title are high.
McKee won the first of the semifinals with a first-round submission to maintain his form and go straight to the Bellator featherweight world grand prix finals.
With a clean record of 17 wins and no losses since joining the promotion, McKee is being hyped up to be a potential new face of Bellator. He will now either face current division's champion Patricio Freire or contender Emmanuel Sanchez.