Rhys McKee is ready to put on a show at UFC Paris next week, no matter who stands across from him inside the Octagon.
Irish standout McKee (14-6-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) is slated to face former Ares FC champion Axel Sola (10-0-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a welterweight bout at the Accor Arena on September 6. Despite the relatively short notice of the fight announcement, “Skeletor” revealed that he had actually been preparing to face not one, but two other opponents before Sola was drafted in earlier this week.
“I think a lot of people are going to think or talk about this fight being short notice, but the truth is we've been preparing for this fight for 12 weeks,” McKee said in a video posted to his Instagram account.
“It was Islam (Dulatov) six weeks out. He gets sick, (the fight) went to Carlston Harris. He had passport issues, and now they've got this guy. So this is a fight I'm excited about. I'm excited to fight in France. I understand how passionate the French are. The fact that we're going to fight a French guy, it's fun to be the bad guy sometimes.”
McKee endured a tough start to his second UFC stint after re-signing with the organization in 2023. The former Cage Warriors champion came up short on the scorecards against both Ange Loosa and Chidi Njokuani, casting doubt on his future with the company.
He bounced back in impressive fashion this past April at the UFC Apex, repeatedly dropping Daniel Frunza before referee Jason Herzog stepped in to halt the fight at the end of the opening round.
That victory earned McKee a €50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and restored a sense of self-belief for the Irishman—momentum he hopes to carry into his showdown with Sola in front of a raucous French crowd next week.
“It's just another fight for me,” says the 29-year-old. “It's just another chance for me to prove how good I am, how much I keep evolving as a martial artist. I'm heavy into my career as a veteran now. It's just racking up the wins right now, and this is just another one of my chapters. So the fact that it's now been announced and we're so close to the fight, for me, is exciting. It's a new piece of the puzzle.
“People look at it as short notice. Nothing about short notice. You're a professional fighter, you should be prepared all the time. And if anything this fight prep has showed me, is there's a lot of fighters that say they're about it that aren't about it. I am absolutely about it. So Paris…let's go.”
