MMA News

Tag: Rhys McKee

  • Rhys McKee Drops Alex Lohore, Earns One-Sided Decision In Belfast

    Rhys McKee Drops Alex Lohore, Earns One-Sided Decision In Belfast

    In his first fight with the PFL, Rhys McKee made an incredible entrance in front of a native crowd, filled with live music, before going on to defeat Alex Lohore in the PFL Belfast co-main event.

    Lohore started things out with a focus on calf kicks, doing damage to McKee’s leg. While McKee looked to fight back, Lohore continued to pressure, eventually scoring a pair of takedowns later in round one. McKee got up both times but couldn’t find a way out of Lohore’s grasp until the end of the round.

    McKee worked his jab well early in round two, and he appeared to be getting the better of Lohore in terms of striking. Lohore placed McKee against the fence again, but McKee had an easier time defending and getting into a grip control battle with Lohore.

    Then, McKee dropped Lohore with a right hand seconds into the final round. McKee followed Lohore to the ground and controlled the action there, at one point threatening a D’Arce choke. Lohore got back to his feet and tried to get his striking going, but it was too little and too late.

    McKee ended up sweeping the scorecards.

    This marked McKee’s PFL debut, his first fight since parting ways with the UFC. The BAMMA and Cage Warriors veteran went 1-5 in two combined stints with the UFC during the 2020s.

    Lohore, a veteran of OKTAGON and Brave CF, also made his PFL debut tonight. He last fought in May, defeating Mansur Abdurzakov. He also fought in Karate Comat, losing a middleweight title fight to Ilyas Khamzin last month.

  • “Nah That Stoppage Was Crazy” – Fans & Fighters React To Herb Dean’s Controversial Stoppage As Axel Sola Wins UFC Debut Against Rhys McKee At UFC Paris

    “Nah That Stoppage Was Crazy” – Fans & Fighters React To Herb Dean’s Controversial Stoppage As Axel Sola Wins UFC Debut Against Rhys McKee At UFC Paris

    In what unfortunately seems to become an often occurance during UFC events, referee Herb Dean has come under fire from the MMA community once again following Axel Sola’s third-round finish of Rhys McKee during UFC Paris.

    McKee had moments of success with heavy punches and pressure, but Sola found success throughout the fight thanks to clean left hands and body shots. The finish, however, came in the third round, with Sola seemingly dropping McKee with a body shot. McKee appeared to look for a takedown before Sola’s ground-and-pound. Dean, however, seemed to only give a second or two for McKee to respond before stepping in, giving Sola the win and prompting protests from McKee.

    Dean already faced from scrutiny earlier in the card, accused of not taking better, sooner action when Harry Hardwick was left unable to stand following leg kicks from Kaue Fernandes.

    Herb Dean Under Fire For Axel Sola Third-Round TKO Win Over Rhys McKee At UFC Paris

    https://twitter.com/tDonBomb/status/1964419789285101660

    This marked the UFC debut for Sola, the former ARES FC lightweight champion and BRAVE CF veteran, who improves to 10-0-1.

    McKee has now lost three of his last four.

  • Fans React To Daniel Frunza’s Busted Eye And Lip, Giving Rhys McKee First UFC Win At UFC Vegas 105

    Fans React To Daniel Frunza’s Busted Eye And Lip, Giving Rhys McKee First UFC Win At UFC Vegas 105

    The fourth time proves to be the charm for Rhys McKee.

    Coming into UFC Vegas 105 as an underdog following two losses in the Octagon, Rhys McKee finally scores his first UFC victory, defeating Daniel Frunza.

    While Frunza opened up with heavy crosses, it didn’t take long for McKee to find his rhythm. He quickly dropped Frunza in the first minute with a right hand, going on to drop Frunza four times in a five-minute span. McKee’s perfectly timed counters and combinations helped him dominate the first round, putting a beating on Frunza.

    The beating was so bad, in fact, that a notable bloody cut could be seen around one of Frunza’s eyes, leaving it a mess. It wasn’t until the round’s end that it was noticed that Frunza also had a split lip.

    Frunza showed heart and survived the round; however, the cageside physician quickly called off the fight in the corner.

    Rhys McKee Batters Daniel Frunza To Doctor’s Stoppage TKO Win At UFC Vegas 105

    https://twitter.com/jxkewillixms/status/1908675807557394680
    https://twitter.com/4mochajones/status/1908675567299551712

    McKee, the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion, was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev, Ange Loosa, and Chidi Njokuani prior to tonight’s performance.

    This marked Frunza’s first fight since defeating Vadym Kutsyi on Dana White’s Contender Series in September.