The Bellator vs Rizin event will probably be one of the biggest highlights in the world of MMA for many years to come. 5 of Bellators finest put on a show against their Rizin Counterparts both literally and figuratively. The event was spectacular not just for the fights but also for the entire presentation.
Featherweight/Lightweight was set to take on Lightweight Roberto de Souza aka ‘Satoshi’ in a high-voltage match at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Antonio knew the chance to fight at such a prestigious arena does not come every day, so the American took full advantage. Being a fighter he wanted to enter the arena like a warrior.
A.J. McKee wields a sword on his way to the ring š” #BellatorvsRizin pic.twitter.com/qbASLnlDcR
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 31, 2022
The ‘Mercenary’ himself described the event saying, “I found this spot online, just looking at different samurai places, looking at Katana [swords] and stuff and they were like, Dude, you canāt get a Katana. To get a Katana, you have to register it to the damn police,ā and I was like, thatās fine by me. They were like, āYouāre not getting one, but you could find an armor suit.”
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AJ McKee enters the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Samurai armour āļø
šŗšø Full Replay at 8pm ET/PT on @SHOSports#RIZINvsBellator#BellatorvsRIZIN#RIZIN40 pic.twitter.com/yC1MCTTknk
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 31, 2022
For the suit he describes, āI wanted armor, too. Iām preparing for battle, so I figured it was something I could relate to their culture with, and with my culture at the same time. Iām in Japan one time, so letās just go full-send on it. The other suits I was looking at, they didnāt give me that preparing for battle feel like this real deal, alligator-coated samurai suit.ā
Finally, A.J. decided to drive the fans crazy with the price reveal, “It was a hefty penny I spent on it, but I wasnāt too worried about it. I spent $100,000 on it.”
McKee also released collectible money with his face on it which also garnered a lot of fan attention. Other fighters didn’t want to be left behind and they came in with their own custom costumes that represented their origins.
Juan Archuleta makes his way to the ring for #BellatorvsRIZIN pic.twitter.com/BiCvB7E1ve
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 31, 2022
Bellator š time. #BellatorvsRizin pic.twitter.com/aMZFFwH7or
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) December 31, 2022
The production level and crowd attendance were so electrifying that even UFC Lightweight King Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov was shocked. As far as A.J.’s samurai suit goes, it will probably rest on his mancave just in case the Bellator Lightweight decides to play Samurai again!
