It emerged Tuesday afternoon that former Lonsdale Lightweight Champion Rhys McKee had parted ways with the promotion.
In an Instagram post, the Northern Irishman wrote this:
The wording of the post lead some to think that McKee had been unhappy with the promotion. In an interview recently with Fightstore Media, the 5-1-1 fighter vented his frustrations following his supposed No.1 contender fight against Richie Smullen.
The pair fought to a draw at BAMMA 30 in a fight many thought deserved the label of ‘Fight of the Year’, but McKee was left with a sour taste in his mouth following the news that Smullen would be fighting Tim Barnett for the Lonsdale Title.
In a Facebook post earlier today, the former titleholder explained that he left the promotion on good terms, and is just focused on doing what is best for his career. We are going to examine his possible next moves, and see where he could go from here.
KSW is the first option that comes to mind, as McKee has been publicly voicing his eagerness to get on the KSW 40 card, which takes place in Dublin on October 22. “Skeletor”, and fans alike have been urging the promotion to have him on the card, which also features fellow Northern Irishman Norman Parke, who is facing Mateusz Gamrot in a rematch of the controversial fight they had in May; Gamrot controversially walked away from that fight with his hands raised.
Another option for McKee is ACB, a promotion that has made waves on the UK scene since ACB 54 in March. Since then, the promotion has held one event in the United Kingdom, but has featured many British fighters on their overseas cards. With a massive backing, a huge audience, and a team not scared of splashing the cash, Absolute Championship Berkut could be where we see McKee next.
The next option that came to my mind was one that not many people have talked about; BAMMA rivals Cage Warriors. The two promotions have constantly battled for the title of ‘biggest promotion in Europe’ for years now. Both BAMMA and CW are undoubtedly massive organisations, but one of the edges CWFC could have is the fact that many fighters view it as a fast track way into the UFC.
There is an abundance of other options for McKee to explore, but I feel like one of those three is most likely to happen.
