UFC president Dana White is confident Rhys McKee will prove he’s a “badass” despite losing inside one round to rising star Khamzat Chimaev in Dubai 10 days ago.
The Northern Irish MMA fighter lost on his UFC debut to the impressive Chimaev who took his professional record to 8-0 with a dominant display on Fight Island 3.
It was a steep learning curve for McKee, but White is confident there’s more to come from the 23-year-old who fights out of Ballymena in County Antrim.
Asked if he would continue to match Chimaev “against lower ranked guys”, White said: “Do you guys realise the kid we matched him up from the UK the last fight he had.. that dude is a badass.
“That guy is legit. Don’t let the way the fight played out fool you.
“That kid was very good and he (Chimaev) made him look not very good because he’s at a whole other level. This dude is real.”
McKee - who was given only six days notice to fight Chimaev - said on an Instagram Q&A that he’s relishing a return to fighting on a UFC bill and doesn’t mind who he is put in the octagon with.
“I’ve no one in mind,” he said. “I don’t care. I’m just excited to get back in there with full preparation.”
Asked if a full training camp would have benefited him ahead of Fight Island 3, he replied: “Of course. Not taking anything away, but it would have.
“But I’ve no excuses. I was game and there when asked.”
On making his UFC debut after carving out an impressive reputation in Cage Warriors, McKee - who plans to fight on at welterweight - said the experience had lived up to expectation.
“I was silently scared it would have come up short, but the truth is it was much more than I’d ever imagined,” he said.
“Making my first walk was amazing but also totally normal. I didn’t feel any jitters or stuff like that. It was a sense of being exactly where I’ve wanted to be for so long.”
Asked who he wants to fight next, McKee, who has a 10-3-1 record, said: “Maybe a boring answer, but I really don’t mind.”
