Ballymena’s Rhys McKee said the merger between Most Valuable Promotions [MVP] and the Professional Fighters League [PFL] is “exciting” for all involved.
McKee made the switch to the PFL on a multi-fight contract in March following a second stint with the UFC.
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It was then announced in July that the PFL would move under the brand of MVP with the newly formed partnership led by MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, with PFL head John Martin also on the board and continuing to operate as CEO.
Speaking ahead of his fight against former world title challenger Ernesto Rodriguez at PFL Dubai on 14 November, McKee outlined what he hopes the merger could mean for his title ambitions.
“The merger is exciting. No one really knows what it could be or what it could entail,” he told BBC Sport NI.
“All I can do is keep knocking people out and for me, nothing gets attention more than knockouts.
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“I’m going to take care of what I can do and the other boys can take care of what they do and we can meet in the middle I’m sure.”
PFL ‘have made the sport fun again’
The 31-year-old returned to winning ways on his PFL debut in Belfast in April as he scored a knockdown on his way to a points verdict over Alex Lohore to improve to 15 wins, seven losses and one draw.
Cuban-American Rodriguez (11-2) is seeking to bounce back from his defeat by PFL Tournament champion Thad Jean for the world welterweight title in July.
McKee believes his 29-year-old opponent “brings a lot to the table” and that if he can secure a victory on Saturday, it will move him closer to a shot at a world title fight.
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“He’s a big fight. A win over him puts me in the world rankings and a step closer to a world title and that’s what we’re after,” he added.
“A win over him, in the style I want to win, will put me straight in for a title fight or one away for a title fight. It’s a big fight. I wanted a ranked fight, an important fight and this is definitely it.”
Reflecting on the move to PFL, McKee, who has collected BAMMA and Cage Warriors titles earlier in his career, had only positive things to say about the promotion.
“I’ve loved PFL. They have made the sport fun again. It’s a collaborative journey here,” he explained.
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“Other promotions I fought in it was very much ‘this is how we’ll do it and this is how you’ll manage it’, whereas PFL ask your opinion and you get a bit of input in the journey.
“I feel for me, as an athlete at this stage of my career, it’s perfect giving me a chance to show who I am as a person and then flourishing in the cage too.”
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