PFL has announced a matchup between former Bellator champion AJ McKee (24-2, ranked #2) and undefeated Salamat Isbulaev (10-0, ranked #6) for June 27 in San Diego. This represents Isbulaev's second PFL bout, following his first-round knockout of third-ranked Jesus Pineda in his debut, after which he was surprisingly ranked only sixth. The post questions PFL's matchmaking strategy, noting they are giving Isbulaev an extremely difficult path to the title by matching him against top contenders without typical warm-up fights. McKee is described as one of PFL's strongest fighters overall, making this a steep test for the undefeated Russian. The author expresses confusion about why Isbulaev remains ranked sixth rather than higher after his impressive debut knockout.
