A.J. McKee vs. Pat Curran set for Bellator 221

A.J. McKee is getting another chance to take on Pat Curran.

The two have been booked to fight at Bellator 221 on May 11 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi confirmed with sources. McKee and Curran were booked to fight at Bellator 205 last September, but Curran was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

The bout was first reported by ESPN.

MMA Fighting also confirmed that McKee has signed a new multi-fight, multi-year deal with Bellator.

This will be the biggest test yet for the 23-year-old McKee, who is unbeaten in 13 pro bouts, all inside the Bellator cage. He has finished three of his last four opponents, most recently submitting Daniel Crawford with an anaconda choke in the opening round of their bout at Bellator 212. McKee holds the Bellator record for most consecutive wins.

Curran (23-7) returns to action for the first time since Oct. 6, 2017. He has held the Bellator featherweight title on two occasions, successfully defending it twice during his first reign. He has won three straight bouts by unanimous decision against John Teixeira, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Emmanuel Sanchez.

Bellator 221 will be headlined by a superfight between lightweight champion Michael Chandler and featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, with Chandler’s 155-pound title on the line.