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Not one to shy away from making bold statements, Kevin Lee has said that he feels like one of the top five welterweights in the UFC.
Realizing the difference in skill level between himself and the welterweights who are currently involved in the title picture, Lee suggested that no 170er has been able to impress him.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Kevin Lee said:
"The 170-pound division I feel like is wide open. Even though it has got the pound-for-pound champ sitting at the top, it's kind of wide open and I feel like he needs a real challenger. So it seemed like timing and everything was just right for me to go ahead and take over this division. I feel like I'm already top five, so this is going to be one of the fights to show the level of difference that I got."
Staying on the sidelines for well over a year, Lee has had his eyes peeled for some competition in the welterweight division. However, 'The Motown Phenom' sees holes in the game of top contenders of the 170-pound weight class.
"I look at these guys, I look at skill for skill... I've been shying away from media and all this stuff for the last year almost and I've been watching (the top welterweight contenders) this whole time, and I see nobody around here. I see nobody that can bring what I bring to the table. I see nobody that got the skills that I got and can do everything in a complete package. I don't see none of them, so yeah, it's me," said Lee.
Watch Kevin Lee's appearance on The MMA Hour below (from 2:32:45):
Kevin Lee will fight at welterweight this weekend
Throughout his career, Kevin Lee has missed weight on a total of four occasions in the 155-pound division. His unsuccessful 170-pound debut against Rafael dos Anjos prompted him to move down one weight class, but the 28-year-old is now confident that he has found a new home at welterweight.
On August 28, 2021, Lee will take on Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight bout. He was scheduled to challenge a bright prospect in Sean Brady, who was forced to pull out of the fight due to a foot infection.
Lee's last UFC fight was against Charles Oliveira in March last year, where he was submitted in the third round.
