Alexander Volkanovski downplays A.J. McKee's best featherweight claim: UFC is a 'different ball game'

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski lauds A.J. McKee but would like to remind him that there are levels to MMA.

McKee (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) won the Bellator featherweight grand prix by dethroning arguably the promotion’s greatest fighter in Patricio Freire at Bellator 263, and he’s confident he can beat any 145 pounder in the world.

McKee’s impressive submission of Freire did catch Volkanovski’s eye, but the UFC featherweight champ thinks McKee’s road to the title has been relatively easier than those vying for the top spot in the octagon.

“For him to even get that opportunity to fight the UFC champion just obviously wouldn’t be fair,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “Look at the row of killers that I had to verse to get to the top, to get to the champ. The same as the guys that are in the top 10, absolute killers in the UFC, and they got to fight each other to try and get to the top. No offense, but the competition, you got to be honest, it is a little bit different.

“Is he high level? Maybe. But you get to fight these guys and then get a shot straight to the top? Yeah, I wish I was in another promotion before I was in the UFC and got a shot at the UFC champ, but that’s not how things work. But again, fair play to him. I ended up seeing highlights of the fight. He looked good, did great, but at the same time, this is a whole different ball game.”

Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who puts his title on the line against Brian Ortega in the main event of UFC 266, had to go through elite-level competition to get a crack at gold. He took out former title challenger Chad Mendes and shut out former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo, en route to a shot at Max Holloway. He defeated Holloway twice and already finds himself with an impressive resume.

McKee has been spectacular himself, boasting an array of both knockout and submission victories. But unless McKee signs with the UFC, it’s highly unlikely he ever gets to test himself against the likes of Volkanovski, Holloway and Ortega.

While Bellator is open to co-promotion having worked with Rizin before, the UFC remains against it, making a fight between McKee and Volkanovski highly unlikely in the near future.