Hometown Debut, Finishing Instinct: Rhys McKee vs. Alex Lohore at PFL Belfast

The co-main event at PFL Belfast on April 16 is built on a collision of two distinct identities. Rhys McKee and Alex Lohore represent competing strains of MMA - one fighter who has finished every professional fight he has ever had, and one who has navigated championship moments across multiple global organizations. When they meet at catchweight (176 lbs) inside the cage at the SSE Arena in Belfast, this matchup will settle something that cannot be argued on paper.

Watch the official promo: PFL Belfast: Kelly vs. Wilson | Official Promo - https://www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA/videos

Rhys McKee

Background
Rhys "Skeletor" McKee is from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and he arrives at PFL Belfast as one of the most anticipated PFL debuts on the European calendar. McKee is a former BAMMA Lightweight champion and Cage Warriors champion who built his reputation on a simple premise: he finishes fights. Every single professional victory of his career has ended before the judges were needed, with the majority coming by way of KO or TKO. That finishing rate is not an accident. McKee is a relentless pressure fighter who leads with grappling first and carries the striking power to end fights at any moment. Making his PFL debut on home turf in front of a Northern Irish crowd gives McKee an emotional edge that cannot be quantified, but the physical edge he brings is well documented.

Alex Lohore

Background
Alex "Da Killa King" Lohore is French-born and competes out of England. He brings genuine championship pedigree to Belfast. His resume stretches across global organizations spanning more than a decade of professional competition, and his ability to operate at a high level in pressure moments is established. Lohore was awarded the interim super welterweight title in 2025, when his opponent missed weight, adding another championship moment to an already decorated career. As a composed, technical striker with veteran instincts, Lohore is not a fighter who fades under pressure - he finds his spots and makes them count.

The Rivalry That Never Happened

One thread connects both fighters to a shared history without a shared fight: McKee and Lohore both competed for BAMMA gold in 2018, rising as rival champions through the same promotional landscape and never crossing paths. McKee was the BAMMA Lightweight champion. Lohore was building his own championship run. Two fighters, same promotional world, different weight classes, paths that never converged. Belfast, nearly a decade later, is where that story finally gets written.

Stylistic Matchup

How This Fight Gets Decided
This fight comes down to what Lohore's experience is worth against McKee's unrelenting pressure. McKee's style demands forward movement and continuous engagement, and his KO power means the fight can end at any point if he lands clean. Lohore's background suggests he knows how to manage distance, absorb a storm, and find his spots when an aggressive opponent overcommits. The central question is whether Lohore's ring intelligence and veteran composure can neutralize McKee long enough to get to his own offense, or whether McKee's finishing instinct overwhelms him before that window opens.

Stakes

For McKee, a strong PFL debut on home soil with a finish would announce him as a legitimate force in the organization and cement his standing as one of European MMA's most dangerous commodities. For Lohore, a win over an opponent who has never been taken the distance, in hostile territory, would demonstrate that his veteran championship experience translates against the kind of power and pressure McKee brings.

Watch Thursday

PFL Belfast: Kelly vs. Wilson takes place Thursday, April 16, 2026 at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The PFL Belfast co-main event airs on ESPN2 as part of the main card, which begins at 7 PM ET. The early card starts at 3:00 PM ET. Two BAMMA champions who never got the chance to fight are finally getting that chance in Belfast.