Early career McKee went 7–1 as an amateur from 2012 to 2014, before turning professional in 2015. He is coached by his father Antonio McKee and currently trains out of Body Shop Fitness, with the likes of
Bubba Jenkins and
Emanuel Newton.
Bellator MMA 2015 In his professional mixed martial arts and promotional debut, McKee faced Marcos Bonilla at
Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. McKee next faced James Barnes at
Bellator 141 on August 28, 2015. As Barnes' back was against the cage, McKee landed a hard left hand, resulting in a knockout victory for McKee at 1:42 in the first round. McKee faced J.T. Donaldson at
Bellator 147 on December 4, 2015. He secured his third first-round finish, after a knee and follow-up punches to his hurt opponent prompted a stoppage. In December 2015, the promotion announced that McKee had signed a multi-year contract extension.
2016 McKee faced Danilo Belluardo at
Bellator 152 on April 16, 2016. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. McKee was next scheduled to face
Henry Corrales at
Bellator 160 on August 26, 2016. However, Corrales withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Cody Walker. He won the fight via submission in the second round. For his third fight in 2016, McKee was scheduled to face a two-time title contender
Emmanuel Sanchez at
Bellator 166 on December 2, 2016. However, Sanchez withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Ray Wood. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
2017 McKee faced Brandon Phillips at
Bellator 171 on January 27, 2017. He won the fight via unanimous decision. McKee faced Dominic Mazzotta at
Bellator 178 on April 21, 2017. He won via unanimous decision and in the process tied the record with
Ben Askren and
Michael Chandler for the most consecutive wins in Bellator history. McKee was expected to face Jeremy Petley at
Bellator 187 on November 10, 2017. However, after the withdrawal of James Gallagher as a result of an injury, McKee's opponent was changed to Brian Moore. He won the fight via submission in the third round.
2018 McKee faced former UFC competitor
Justin Lawrence at
Bellator 197 on April 13, 2018. He won the fight via unanimous decision. At
Bellator 205 McKee was expected to headline opposite former featherweight champion
Pat Curran. The event took place in
Boise, Idaho on September 21. However Curran was pulled due to injury and he was replaced by
John Macapá. He won the fight via knockout in round one. McKee next faced Daniel Crawford at
Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. He won the fight via an anaconda choke submission in the first round.
2019 As the first bout of his new multi-bout contract, McKee's next fight came against former two-time
Bellator Featherweight World Champion Pat Curran at
Bellator 221 on May 11, 2019. He won the bout via unanimous decision.
Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix McKee faced
Georgi Karakhanyan in the opening round of the
Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix on September 28 at
Bellator 228. He was victorious via knockout just 8 seconds into the first round, advancing to the next round. In the quarterfinals, McKee faced
Derek Campos at
Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019. He won the bout via third round submission to advance in the tournament. In the semifinals, McKee was set to face
Darrion Caldwell at
Bellator 244 on June 6, 2020. However, the bout was delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The bout was rescheduled and took place at
Bellator 253 on November 19. McKee won the fight via neck crank submission in round one, thus moving on to the Featherweight Grand Prix final. In the final, McKee faced
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patrício Pitbull at
Bellator 263 on July 31, 2021, for the Grand Prix Title and $1 million prize. McKee stunned Pitbull with a high kick early in the bout, and secured a guillotine choke winning the bout via submission in round one, claiming the Bellator Featherweight Championship, and $1 million prize in the process. The bout marked McKee's last of his prevailing contract, but becoming the champion triggered a clause which extended the contract by one year or three fights.
Bellator Featherweight World Champion As the first title defense of his reign, McKee rematched
Patrício Pitbull on April 15, 2022, at
Bellator 277. He lost the close bout and the title via unanimous decision, marking the first defeat of his professional career.
Lightweight Move Moving up to Lightweight for the first time in his career, McKee faced
Spike Carlyle on October 1, 2022, at
Bellator 286. At weigh ins, Carlyle missed weight, coming .6 pounds over the division non-title fight limit at 156.6 lbs and was fined 20% of his purse and the bout continued at catchweight. In a wild and bloody bout, McKee came out of it with a unanimous decision victory. McKee faced reigning
Rizin FF Lightweight Champion Roberto de Souza in a non-title bout at
Bellator MMA vs. Rizin on December 31, 2022. Although there were many submission attempts made by de Souza, McKee had more offense and won the bout by unanimous decision. Subsequently – with one bout left on his prevailing contract – McKee signed a new six-fight, multi-year contract with Bellator.
Lightweight Grand Prix On January 11, 2023, McKee was announced as one of the eight participants in the $1 million
Lightweight Grand Prix. McKee was scheduled face
Patricky Pitbull in the
Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final as part of
Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 on July 30, 2023. However, on July 26, it was announced McKee had pulled out of the bout due to an injury, and that he was replaced by
Roberto de Souza.
Post Grand Prix McKee faced
Sidney Outlaw on November 17, 2023, at
Bellator 301. Despite being on the bottom for most of the bout, McKee was able to inflict enough damage on Outlaw via the use of elbows to win the unanimous decision. McKee faced
Clay Collard on February 24, 2024, at
PFL vs. Bellator. In a quick, fast-paced bout, McKee went for multiple submissions and ended up winning the bout early in the first round by armbar submission. McKee faced
Paul Hughes on October 19, 2024 at
PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. He lost the fight by split decision.
Return to Featherweight McKee faced Akhmed Magomedov in a featherweight bout on July 19, 2025, at
PFL Champions Series 2. He won the bout via unanimous decision. McKee faced
Ádám Borics on March 20, 2026 at
PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards 2. He won the bout via unanimous decision. McKee is scheduled to face Salamat Isbulaev in the main event of PFL San Diego at
Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, on June 27, 2026. ==Championships and accomplishments==