AJ McKee Reveals Reason Behind Bellator x Rizin 2 Withdrawl
A.J. McKee has revealed that a staph infection forced him to withdraw from Bellator X Rizin 2 event.
McKee took on his Twitter account where he shared some graphic images of his knee to explain his situation. He also apologized to all fans for missing the event and expressed that his comeback would be stronger.
A.J. McKee was scheduled to face Patricky Pitbull in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout at Bellator x Rizin 2, but he has been out of the event because of this staph infection in his knee. Bellator also announced that A.J. McKee will now serve as an alternate in the tournament going forward.
Just to clear the air ππΎπ―ππΎ The progression of this infection in 1 week smh.. A few more weeks of rest/healing and itβs back to the grind.π¦ΎππΎ pic.twitter.com/mYmznV1Puw
β AJ βThe Mercenaryβ McKee (@ajmckee101) July 27, 2023
Roberto de Souza replaced McKee in the bout and has now been officially included in the Bellator lightweight grand prix replacement for McKee. Freire vs de Souza will be of five rounds but the weight limit has changed to 161 pounds due to late change in opponent.
Bellator x Rizin 2 is scheduled for July 29, 2023, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event will also feature a bout for the inaugural Bellator Flyweight Championship between Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Shinryu.
π¨ ππ₯πππππ‘π π‘ππͺπ¦ π¨
β Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 26, 2023
Just announced by @ScottCoker, @ajmckee101 is out of the #BellatorLWGP. @rizin_English lightweight champion Roberto de Souza steps in to face @PatrickyPitbull! π
π #BellatorXRizin
πΊπΈ 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT | @SHOsports
π―π΅ 7/30 | 12pm JST |β¦ pic.twitter.com/xh5D2wEH9P