![Rinat Fakhretdinov [Left], and Kevin Lee with Khabib Nurmagomedov [Right] [Photo credit: @mmamania and @MoTownPhenom - Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/06/8b6bc-16879858999546-1920.jpg)
![Rinat Fakhretdinov [Left], and Kevin Lee with Khabib Nurmagomedov [Right] [Photo credit: @mmamania and @MoTownPhenom - Twitter]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rinat Fakhretdinov opened up about his upcoming forced encounter with Kevin Lee, which will go against his stance on fighting fellow Muslims.
During his pre-fight media ahead of this Saturday's UFC Vegas 76, Fakhretdinov noted that competing in the promotion is much different than competing in Russia because he was able to be more selective with his opponents. He mentioned that he still doesn't prefer fighting against fellow Muslim fighters but that it's out of his control:
"It was either this fight or nothing. So, I had to sign the contract, and I had to do the fight. In Russia, when I was a champion, I was actually able to still choose who I want to fight with. I want to fight with this guy, or I don't want to fight with that guy. Here I don't have this choice."
'Gladiator' then said it won't take away from his mindset or approach to the fight. He mentioned that he doesn't have any animosity towards Lee and will shake his hand after their fight, saying:
"It is what it is. We're gonna fight, we're gonna duke it out in the octagon, and then we're gonna shake our hands. We have [a] good relationship with Kevin Lee, so I have nothing against him. It's just a fight."
It will be interesting to see what transpires during the fight as 'The Motown Phenom' is making his return to the promotion. Meanwhile, Fakhretdinov hopes to extend his winning streak and add a big name to his resume.
What is Rinat Fakhretdinov's MMA record?
Rinat Fakhretdinov was a highly touted welterweight when he joined the UFC in 2022.
The 32-year-old has plenty of experience and an impressive 20-1 MMA record. Despite both his UFC wins inside the octagon coming via unanimous decision, 16 have come via stoppage as he earned 11 KO/TKO wins and five submission wins.
'Gladiator' is currently riding a 19-fight winning streak dating back to his third professional fight in 2013. A win over Kevin Lee could lead to a bigger opportunity and possibly see him compete against a ranked opponent in his next bout.
