AJ McKee (18-0, 13 finishes), the Bellator featherweight champion, will run it back against ex-champ Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (32-5, 23 finishes) in Bellator 277’s main event on Friday night from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The unbeaten second-generation fighter connected for some Q&A over Zoom with Scott Fontana for the Post Fight Interview.

Q: You just turned 27 on April 7. How did you celebrate?
A: I got to eat a fruit cake, a big ol’ fruitcake. … Edible arrangement. I apologize.

Q: How has life changed for you since winning the featherweight grand prix?
A: Honestly, not much. Gameplan’s still the same. Life’s still the same. I got to enjoy a little bit of snowboarding. I got to go see the IndyCar races. … I’m gonna be an Indy racer, dude (laughs).

Q: Is that something you have experience with?
A: Well, depends what you say is experience. … I’ve touched some high speeds. Very high speeds (laughs). So I’m looking forward to stepping in an avenue where I can do it legally and in a safe, controlled environment.

Q: You told The Post before the grand prix final last year that you had your eyes on a Porsche 911 GTS RS as a treat for yourself if you won the $1 million prize. Did you buy it?
A: Nah. I ain’t making that much bread yet. That’s a half-million dollar car. Hopefully, within the near future, I can continue to showcase my skills, keep that ‘O’ (zero in the loss column), and keep those O’s on the check.

Q: Why did you want an immediate rematch against Pitbull, who’s very accomplished but whom you beat quickly in July?
A: I wanted it for the 155-pound title so I could be champ-champ. That’s something I’ve spoken upon for many years, before Conor [McGregor] did it; before anybody really did it. I said I was gonna be a champ-champ. Then all these guys come along and they end up becoming champ-champ. So for me I’m looking forward to becoming champ-champ. And even though this fight’s at 145 pounds, [in] the McKee family [and] the [Team] Bodyshop tradition, in order to be a champion, you have to beat a champion. And Patricky “Pitbull” (Patricio’s brother who won the vacant Bellator lightweight title last year) has not beat a champion. Therefore, to me, he is not [the] 155-pound champion. So for [Patricio] Pitbull (who vacated the lightweight title) going into this rematch, I see it as I’m fighting him for the 155-pound title. 

Q: Does it mean anything to you to be headlining the event above the light heavyweight grand prix final between Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson?
A: Definitely. I feel it’s respectable. It gives me the respect I feel I deserve, being undefeated, being the champ, being the star of Bellator, being undefeated

Q: In your mind, is the next move a fight against Patricky Pitbull?
A: Definitely. I don’t know. We’ll see what Bellator wants. We’ll see what happens contractually. There’s all kind of things that are kind of on the table right now that we gotta speak about and go through. So for me, I got two belts already. I got one from the tournament, one from the [145]-pound division, so I’m walking into this fight with both belts to let them know I’m champ-champ.

Q: Where do you keep your belts?
A: Normally, they’re sitting on my couch.

Q: Are you and your team actively negotiating with Bellator on a new contract?
A: I feel, with my skill set, my record, accolades, becoming a champ, and then obviously securing a million dollars while becoming a champ, there’s no ‘O’ on my record, so there should be no O’s dropping from my check. That’s just how I feel. It’s an opinion. But, at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. We were trying to come up with numbers; couldn’t come to an understanding, so forth. So at the moment, it’s [a] championship clause [I’m fighting under]. Regardless [of] money and so forth, I just genuinely enjoyed a fight, and that’s kind of been my problem is activity, not being able to fight as much as I want. I used to be able to fight three, four times a year contractually. That’s what my contract says. I’m looking forward to getting three, four fights in a year. When we started negotiating and talking, I was like, ‘Look, let me fight [in] December; I want to fight [in] December.’ And then went [to] January, and then it went to February, and then it went to March, and now we’re into April. So with it being in April, we’re four months in, and we didn’t come to an understanding or an agreement. So after this fight, I feel once again, it’s putting the icing on the cake, showing Bellator, ‘Hey, I’m not here to play games. I’m here to cash in checks, continue my legacy as a McKee.’

Q: Do you think you will get the chance to fight three times this year?
A: I would think so because, even if we don’t come to an agreement on the contract, I owe three fights — championship clause. And in order to test free agency, those three fights have to be done or, whatever fights they do have done, I’m a free agent. So with that, I’m quite sure they’ll get those three fights in, regardless. We’re in April; I’m gonna go finish Pitbull, and hopefully, I get back in there in another month or two, and we can sit down and get some numbers tightened in before then. If not, you guys know the plan, I’m gonna fight where I can fight and continue to be the best that I can be.

Q: Some regard you as the top male fighter outside the UFC. When you hear things like that, what do you think?
A: It’s cool. I appreciate it, but I’m looking to be the top fighter in the world, period. 

Q: Do you recall your first experience watching MMA?
A: I remember going to Tapout shows when I was a kid. Tapout was a clothing company, but at the same time, they put on MMA shows back in the day. … I was a little kid, probably like 5.

Q: You can fight any person who has ever lived. Who do you pick?
A: Floyd [Mayweather Jr.]

Q: Typical walkaround weight between fights?
A: I’ve touched 185 [pounds] before. But typical walkaround weight: 165, 170ish.

Q: Typical weight on fight night?
A: 165.

Q: Who in MMA do you most admire?
A: My pops [father Antonio McKee].

Q: What’s the coolest technique in combat sports?
A: Spinning heel kick to the leg as a trip.

Q: Is there a great MMA movie?
A: I just watched the one with [Halle Berry], “Bruised.” That was a pretty cool movie. 

Q: Favorite movie?
A: “[The] Matrix.”

Q: Favorite song?
A: Lil Baby’s the vibe right now. 

Q: Favorite video game?
A: “Call of Duty.”

Q: What’s a perfect day for you that doesn’t involve fighting?
A: It’s not a perfect day then.

Q: What do you do to get away?
A: I get in my car and go drive really fast (laughs). I would say that. I go paintballing. I like to wrench, too; I like to work on my car, so that’s fun. I would say paintballing. I’m an adrenaline junkie.