The lightweight debut of A.J. McKee was one to be remembered.
At Bellator 286, McKee (19-1 MMA, 19-1 BMMA) defeated Spike Carlyle (14-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-26, 30-27) in an all-time Bellator brawl.
The fight co-headlined the event at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif.
In what was seemingly one of the quickest escalations of action out of the gates in high-profile MMA history, McKee and Carlyle swung with reckless abandon. Each man landed their fair share of blows.
Carlyle, who is known for his wild, all-offense style, was met by some of his own medicine by McKee. When the fight initially hit the canvas, Carlyle was in an advantageous position. However, McKee leveraged him over in reversal.
No holding back!#Bellator286 is LIVE on @SHOsports 👇 pic.twitter.com/SJwTR2GkwE
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 2, 2022
In Round 2, McKee utilized his grappling and submission attempts to largely dominate. In a memorable moment of inactivity, McKee pretended to hump the head of Carlyle in response to a potential glove grab during a submission attempt.
It was more of the same in Round 3. McKee remained patient and controlled Carlyle, who pulled off his fair share of reversals. However, McKee always seemed to get the last word through action.
Carlyle was covered in his own blood as the horn sounded, with McKee on his back. The two men embraced moments before the largely lopsided judges’ scorecards read in favor of McKee.
The road to gold 𝗕𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗦 👊@ajmckee101 starts life at Lightweight with a win 💥 #Bellator286 pic.twitter.com/GHzjBUtbqv
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 2, 2022
With the win, McKee bounces back from a debated April loss to Patricio Freire via unanimous decision. After the defeat, which was the first of his career, many thought a trilogy fight against “Pitbull” was inevitable. However, McKee elected to move up in weight instead.
As for Carlyle, he loses for the first time in six fights. His previous loss was his final UFC bout, a defeat to Bill Algeo in 2020. Prior to Bellator 286, Carlyle missed weight by less than one pound and was required to forfeit 20 percent of his purse.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 286 results include:
- A.J. McKee def. Spike Carlyle via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Jeremy Kennedy def. Aaron Pico via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 5:00
- Juan Archuleta def. Enrique Barzola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Bobby Seronio III def. Miguel Peimbert via unanimous decision (30-27, 20-37, 30- 27)
- Islam Mamedov def. Nick Browne via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jay Jay Wilson def. Vladimir Tokov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Khalid Murtazaliev def. Khadzhimurat Bestaev via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:02
- Sumiko Inaba def. Nadine Mandiau via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 20-37)
- Weber Almeida def. Ryan Lilley via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lance Gibson Jr. def. Dominic Clark via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:49
- Cee Jay Hamilton def. Richard Palencia via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 0:12
- Keoni Diggs vs. Ricardo Seixas
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.
