There’s one glaring observation to be made by looking at 23-year-old Bellator prospect A.J. McKee’s MMA record: He’s never been beaten.

John Teixeira (21-3-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who meets McKee (11-0 MMA, 11-0 BMMA) in the headlining bout of Bellator 205 on Sept. 21, has of course realized that. He’s also realized, by studying McKee, that he’s got a tough competitor ahead of him.

But here’s the thing: Teixeira is no stranger to tough fights. And the same, he believes, can’t be said for his upcoming opponent.

“I’ve always asked for tough fights,” Teixeira told MMAjunkie ahead of Paramount-televised featherweight bout at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. “Like I asked for my past two fights, against Daniel Weichel and Pat Curran. I want to always have difficult fights, so I can push myself harder not only in the fight but also in preparation.

“Unlike him; given he started at Bellator and that Bellator wants to build him in the promotion, he got a few easy fights there. But you can be sure I’ll be the toughest opponent he’s faced, the most experienced, and let’s see how he’ll fare against me.”

Spoiler alert: Teixeira doesn’t really think McKee will fare as well against him as he’s been able to do with his previous competition.

While Teixeira knows that McKee, who most recently edged out Justin Lawrence to continue an unbeaten pro run that took place entirely under the Bellator banner, has his skills, he also believes the 23-year-old offers “many gaps” in his game. Teixeira has been preparing to address those, as usual, at Nova Uniao in Rio de Janeiro.

McKee is a southpaw, Teixeira points out, and that’s an important aspect that he could address by training with partners that held that same characteristic. But the key factor in the fight, the Brazilian believes, will be how the American foe handles being pressured.

“He has been striking in his past two fights, but, when he’s pressured, he reverts back to his background, which is wrestling,” Teixeira said. “I’m ready for that. If he wants to do do isometrics with me for three, five rounds, I’m ready for it.”

Again, that doesn’t mean Teixeira doesn’t see a tough opponent in McKee. But, rather than let that intimidate him, Teixeira says that’s exactly the type of commitment he enjoys – the type that will drive him to push even harder, both in training and in the cage.

Teixeira feels well-prepared and well-conditioned for the featherweight bout. More importantly, though, he’s determined to get back on the winning path after the back-to-back losses to Curran and Weichel – a winning path that, at one point, involved overcoming nine opponents in a row.

After that, Teixeira’s plan is simple: He wants to stay with Bellator, where “I found myself.” He’s also happy to continue on the title route at featherweight, if that’s what the promotion desires. But, if they want him at lightweight or even bantamweight – and compensate him accordingly, of course – he’s also open to it.

Sure, dropping an added 10 pounds would take some work. But, then again, Teixeira is not opposed to challenges.

“I’d have to sacrifice a bit more to go to a lower division – I like that,” Teixeira said. “It will all depend on Bellator. I’m just an employee. And if they tell me to move down, or up, I’ll be ready to fight anyone.”

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