A.J. McKee (24-2, ranked #2) will face Salamat Isbulaev (10-0, ranked #6) on June 27 in San Diego. The post questions PFL's matchmaking strategy for Isbulaev, noting he received a difficult debut fight against #3-ranked Jesus Pinedo, whom he finished in the first round but did not surpass in rankings, landing at #6 instead. Now Isbulaev faces former Bellator champion McKee, one of PFL's strongest fighters with an impressive resume. The author finds it puzzling that Isbulaev is being given such a challenging path to the title without warm-up fights and questions why he remains ranked #6 rather than #3 after defeating Pinedo.
PFL has officially booked A.J. McKee against Salamat Isbulaev for its June 27 card in San Diego, setting up a featherweight matchup with significant title implications.
McKee enters the bout ranked second in the PFL featherweight division and carries the credentials to match. A former Bellator champion, he is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous fighters on the PFL roster and holds a record of 24-2.
Isbulaev comes in undefeated at 9-0, ranked sixth in the division. The 29-year-old from Kazakhstan stands five-foot-seven with a 69-inch reach. His PFL debut was anything but a soft landing — he was matched against Jesus Pinedo, ranked third in the division at the time, and finished him inside the first round. Despite that result, Isbulaev was slotted at sixth in the updated rankings rather than inheriting Pinedo's third-place position, a decision that has drawn scrutiny from observers of the promotion's matchmaking process.
Pinedo, the Peruvian veteran Isbulaev defeated, carries a record of 25-6-1 and is 28 years old. He stands six feet tall with a 74-inch reach and posts a striking accuracy of 62 percent, making his first-round finish a notable early statement from Isbulaev.
Why it matters
- McKee at number two is the highest-ranked available opponent below the champion, making this a de facto title eliminator
- Isbulaev is being fast-tracked through elite competition with no transitional bouts between his debut win and this assignment
- The rankings math is a genuine puzzle — a first-round finish of the number-three fighter that results in a number-six placement raises questions about how PFL constructs its divisional ladder
- A win for Isbulaev over McKee would be nearly impossible to overlook for a title shot, regardless of where the rankings place him
