Two big Bellator prospects are set to clash this winter.
Roufusport product Emmanuel Sanchez and AJ McKee will face off in a pivotal bout, where Sanchez will look to get back on the right track against highly touted, blue chip prospect AJ McKee. Sanchez dropped a split decision to Daniel Weichel at Bellator 159, while McKee defeated Cody Walker at Bellator 160.
Bellator MMA sent Fightful the following press release.
Bellator MMA will return to WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, OK., on December 2 with a night of must-see mixed martial arts action, and the first confirmed bout on the Spike-televised portion of the card will feature undefeated prospectA.J. McKee (5-0) taking on Emmanuel “El Matador” Sanchez (13-3).
Tickets for “Bellator MMA in Thackerville” start at just $45 and go on sale this coming Monday, September 19 at 10 a.m. CT. You can purchase tickets at the WinStar World Casino & Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.
The event airs live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Fighting out of Long Beach, Calif., McKee enters this fight following the quickest finish of his budding career, a 32-second guillotine choke submission at“Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull.” A 5-fight veteran of Bellator MMA, McKee has a knack for finishing fights early and often, spending a grand total of 10:25 inside the cage over the course of his five scraps. Trained by his father, Antonio McKee, the Team Bodyshop product will try to protect his unblemished mark and fufill his goal of becoming the youngest champion in MMA history when he enters the cage on December 9.
“El Matador” will be making his eighth appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, a promotion with which the 26-year-old has had much success to date. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he trains at Roufusport, Sanchez is riding a recent string of success, having won nine of his last 11 contests, including three of the past four. Six of Sanchez’s 13 career victories have come by way of knockout or submission, with five of the finishes ending in the opening frame. Since signing with Bellator MMA, “El Matador” has competed against a who’s who of talent, facing names the likes of Pat Curran, Justin Lawrence, Henry Corrales, and Daniel Weichel.
