Opinion: MFC Lightweight Champ Antonio McKee Says He’d ‘Kick BJ’s Butt”

This Friday night, Maximum Fighting Champion lightweight title holder Antonio McKee (22-3) will face Carlo Prater at MFC 22 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The 40 year old spoke to FanHouse.com about his upcoming bout and the answered questions about why he wasn’t fighting in the UFC.

FanHouse: You’ve been undefeated for the past six-and-a-half years yet only the diehards know who you are. Why haven’t we seen you in the UFC or Strikeforce?
Antonio McKee: You got to remember that I’m also a very good coach. I’ve worked with “Rampage,” I work with some of the high-end profile fighters. They all know who I am. Unfortunately when you’re doing what I’m doing: I own a gym, I’m promoting “Knockout Promotions.” For a lot of local companies it doesn’t make sense for them to use me as their posterboy, as their star when they’re paying me peanuts and crumbs and I’m also a promoter doing shows. I understand the UFC. They don’t want competition six, seven years from now. Look at Golden Boy Promotions. Look at what they’re doing. Now [Oscar De La Hoya] is pretty much running boxing. And he’s a former boxer who decided he didn’t want to box no more and he wanted to make some real money and promote. So here I am just a man looking for opportunities to better my success and myself in my career in fighting.

Dana White, they all know me. Who do they got to beat me? BJ Penn? C’mon dude. At 155 I’d kick BJ’s [butt] and everybody knows it that knows me. They’d go, “he would tool BJ.” Why? Cause BJ he ain’t got cardio. You see him lose every one of his fights. Why? Because he gets tired. McKee doesn’t get tired.

FanHouse: That’s a really big statement. Are we ever going to see you in the Octagon so you can work towards that in front of a more mainstream audience?
Antonio McKee: You know what? I think the UFC is very smart. They are going to let the hype get built, and they’re going to let the people talk and then they’ll make that fight happen. The fight fans in America do not want to see Antonio vs. BJ. The fight celebrities, stars want to see McKee and BJ. It’s all about marketing. I’m not marketing myself to mainstream fans right now. I’m trying to be the best I can be and have the best record, and the worst comes to worst retire as the MFC lightweight champion and the only fighter to go undefeated seven to eight years – up a weight class.

I don’t know who you have to beat me at 155. Who? Clay Guida? Sean Sherk? I had a fight with Sean Sherk and he turned it down. Because my strength is their strength but I’m better at it. I’m the best wrestler in mixed martial arts right now. There’s only one guy that’s running neck-to-neck with me and that’s Mo Lawal. And Mo would tell you the same thing, “McKee is probably the best wrestler in the game [of MMA].” Pound for pound? 155 pounds? I’m not trying to be cocky. I’m just telling it as it is.

Read the rest of the interview by visiting FanHouse.com.

This Friday night, Maximum Fighting Champion lightweight title holder Antonio McKee (22-3) will face Carlo Prater at MFC 22 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The 40 year old spoke to FanHouse.com about his upcoming bout and the answered questions about why he wasn’t fighting in the UFC. FanHouse: You’ve been undefeated for the past six-and-a-half years yet only [...]

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