AJ McKee Sees James Gallagher as a Joke

AJ McKee spoke with MMAjunkie for a new interview. Some highlights are below:

On Gallagher’s fight with Chinzo Machida at Bellator 180: “Of course that’s his toughest test so far. I really don’t think he’s fought anybody. We’ll see. Even Chinzo, he’s talking about how he’s a legend. He’s not a legend. (Lyoto) Machida is the legend. His brother, he’s a basic fighter just like Gallagher. We’ll see how that goes. I would like the winner of either one of them. Whoever wins, I’m willing to fight. I’ll fight anybody.”

Although pitting McKee against Gallagher at Bellator 180 seemed like a natural pairing, “The Mercenary” said he understands why it didn’t happen. He believes in the Bellator matchmaking process of building toward marquee fights but said he would be ready to throw down with Gallagher at any time – even on short notice.

On not getting a fight with Gallagher yet: “I think Bellator is letting that kind of build up. It’s smart because it is a business, and there’s a lot of marketing to these fights. Letting the tension build up and letting that be a fight the fans want, it’s a smart business move. I’m ready to get back in there whenever. If they give me a phone call, I’m ready. Whenever they need somebody to fill in or if they just want me to fight, it’s just about being prepared at all times so we can get everything and anything done.”

On how he views Gallagher: “I see him as a joke. To even think he’s ready for title contention or belts is funny. At first he was calling me out, saying that he wants to fight me. Then I go (knock out Mazzotta) and all of a sudden he doesn’t want to fight me anymore? That’s funny to me; that shows that fear. He barked up the wrong tree. One of my quotes for him is, ‘You got a dog barking up a tree while the lion’s climbing it.’ He knows there’s a lion in front of him, and he’s still just a little puppy dog. At the end of the day, Patricio ‘Pitbull,’ he’s the one with that belt, so he’s the one I’m looking forward to fighting most.”