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Kevin Lee has been a part of the UFC roster since 2014 and has been touted by many as a future UFC world champion. ‘The Motown Phenom’ will turn 29 next month and already has an incredible resume of fights.
While Kevin Lee has spent the majority of his career in the lightweight division, Lee has recently maintained that he plans to make a championship run at welterweight this year. Lee, who’d previously come up short in his bid to win the interim UFC lightweight title back in 2017, now has his sights set on the undisputed UFC welterweight title.
In an interview with James Lynch of Fanatics View, UFC star Kevin Lee opened up on multiple topics. Lynch notably asked Lee about his decision to return to welterweight. He also questioned Lee about how many fights away he thinks he is from becoming a UFC welterweight title contender.
Kevin Lee responded by suggesting that he’d be a tough challenge for reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. He stated:
“Yeah, there’s no legitimate contenders. So, I think I present a lot of problems for Usman. And I think he knows it too. So, I would say only two fights. Two fights and I’m in the number-one contender’s fight. So, you know, all goes well, I’m looking at another two years.”
Kevin Lee vs. Daniel Rodriguez and Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2
Kevin Lee’s last fight was scheduled to be a lightweight (155-pound) bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira in March 2020.
The lightweight limit for title bouts is 155 pounds, whereas the limit for non-title bouts in the division is 156 pounds. Kevin Lee missed weight for his lightweight bout – weighing in at 158.5 lbs, which is 2.5 lbs over the limit for non-title lightweight bouts.
The matchup went ahead as a catchweight bout, and Oliveira proceeded to defeat Lee via third-round submission.
Kevin Lee subsequently dealt with knee injury issues that kept him out of action for several months. Thankfully, Lee has recovered from his injuries and is now scheduled to fight Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 30 on August 28th, 2021.
Meanwhile, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is set to defend his title in a rematch against longtime rival Colby Covington at UFC 268 on November 6th, 2021.
