By The Numbers: A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire

Time may soon tell whether or not Patricio Freire has finally encountered a hurdle he cannot clear.

“Pitbull” will challenge the unbeaten A.J. McKee for the Bellator MMA featherweight championship when their blockbuster rematch headlines Bellator 277 on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. McKee submitted the Brazilian with a first-round guillotine choke in the featherweight grand prix final at Bellator 263 on July 31, the life-altering victory bringing with it the company’s undisputed title at 145 pounds. Neither man has fought since, and Freire has never lost to the same man twice.

As McKee and Freire focus attention on their second meeting in a little more than eight months, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

27: Years of age for McKee, who was born on April 7, 1995 in Long Beach, California.

7: McKee wins by submission, accounting for 39% of his career total (18). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes, two guillotine chokes, one anaconda choke, one armbar and one neck crank. McKee owns six other wins by knockout or technical knockout and five more by decision.

71: Seconds needed for McKee to dispatch Darrion Caldwell with a neck crank under the Bellator 253 marquee on Nov. 19, 2020. It ranks as his quickest submission to date.

3: Countries in which McKee has plied his MMA trade. He has gone 16-0 in the United States, 1-0 in Ireland and 1-0 in Italy.

98: Combined victories between the four men—Freire, Caldwell, Georgi Karakhanyan and Derek Campos—McKee defeated to win the Bellator featherweight grand prix. They boast a cumulative .731 winning percentage (98-35-1).

34: Years of age for Freire, who was born on July 7, 1987 in Natal, Brazil.

11: Freire victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 34% of his career total (32). His list of Bellator victims: Karakhanyan, Pedro Carvalho, Michael Chandler, Daniel Weichel, Justin Wilcox, Diego Nunes, Jared Downing and Wilson Reis. Freire holds 12 other victories by submission and nine more by decision.

65: Rounds completed by Freire as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 9-3 record in those bouts.

61: Seconds needed for Freire to cut down Chandler with punches in the Bellator 221 main event on May 11, 2019. Having occurred nearly three years ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 37-fight career.

.745: Cumulative winning percentage between the five men—McKee, Benson Henderson, Daniel Straus, Pat Curran and Joe Warren—who have beaten Freire. They sport a combined record of 111-38.