A.J. McKee calls for title shot after dominating Salamat Isbulaev in PFL San Diego main event

A.J. McKee dominated rising featherweight Salamat Isbulaev in the PFL San Diego main event on Saturday night at Pechanga Arena, earning a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) and immediately calling for a title shot.

McKee's suffocating grappling game controlled the fight from start to finish. The 31-year-old Team Bodyshop representative scored multiple takedowns in each round, transitioning smoothly between positions and threatening submissions while landing vicious ground-and-pound. In the third round, McKee mounted an near-finish assault with elbows from the top before time ran out.

Isbulaev, a rising prospect from Kazakhstan, swung aggressively early but could not match McKee's technical execution or cardio. The Kazakh managed a brief cut above McKee's eye and attempted multiple escape submissions, including a guillotine and kimura, but none found success.

After the decision, McKee wasted no time staking his claim. "You call a mercenary when you need something done," he said. "I want the title. That was the point of the return to the 145-pound division." With the victory, McKee improves to 3-0 since returning to featherweight and sits third in the PFL rankings behind only Timur Khizriev, positioning him squarely in the title conversation.

Here are the full results from PFL San Diego: