Kevin Lee News

Tom Taylor - December 27, 2017

There is quite a bit of mystery surrounding the next fight of UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. In the opinion of lightweight contender Kevin Lee, however, McGregor will probably return to the Octagon to battle interim champion Tony Ferguson in the new year. “I think he comes back, he fights Tony,” Lee said on a recent episode of MMA Junkie Radio. “He don’t want to, but I feel like at some point they’re going to force him to. Either that, or something crazy is going to happen there. But at least I think everything that I’ve seen and all the little whispers that I’ve heard, he comes back, he fights Tony.”

Justin Golightly - December 19, 2017

If Justin Gaethje would have managed to get through Eddie Alvarez, no question he would have been pushed toward a title shot. Unfortunately, the former WSOF champion finally met his match after being undefeated for 18 fights. He was proud to go out on shield, but of course he wanted to walk out with the leverage he would have gotten from a huge win. Either way, the warrior that Gaethje is just shrugs and moves on. He’ll set his eyes on a fight with Dustin Poirier or Kevin Lee next. “When you win, you get to pick somebody in front of you, but when you lose; I am still ranked No. 5 in the world, UFC, so coming off a loss now I get to give somebody behind me a chance. So, we will see which one of these loudmouths, Kevin Lee, Dustin Poirier. One of them is going to have to get me on my comeback. So I’m trying for that.”

Justin Golightly - December 5, 2017

Kevin Lee and Conor McGregor have something in common: They’re both due for a comeback. Lee fell short against interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson back at UFC 216, but the UFC hasn’t seen McGregor since he held both the featherweight and lightweight belts over his head in Madison Square Garden last year. Kevin Lee vows to fight sooner rather than later, offering a scolding for the organization’s Champ Champ and warns he’s got multiple beatings ahead of him. “Yeah, that boy [Conor McGregor is] f-cking up. I don’t know, if the rumors are true or whatever, he better get his sh-t together because he’s got a long mountain to climb. People are saying oh, is he going to fight, is he going to do this? I take the man for his word. He say he a fighter. I think he’s gonna’ come back. He has to come back and try to defend that title. He’s got a long mountain to climb up there. He’s got Tony [Ferguson] as soon as he comes back. Tony’s going to beat the hell out of him. As soon as he loses that one, I’m going to beat the hell out of him and then he’s going to be down in the dirt.”

Tom Taylor - October 17, 2017

On October 7, in the main event of UFC 216, 25-year-old lightweight contender Kevin Lee’s title dreams were put on hold, as he was submitted by Tony Ferguson in an interim lightweight title fight. Ferguson, meanwhile, immediately turned his focus to undisputed UFC lightweight champion and MMA megastar Conor McGregor. As one of the lightweight division’s top contenders, Lee’s insight on a potential fight between Ferguson and McGregor is particularly interesting. Lee made his pick for this fight on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour:

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 216, Kevin Lee came up short in a bid to capture the UFC interim lightweight title in a fight with Tony Ferguson. For Lee, however, the real fight began in the days before he stepped into the cage, when he had to shed a monstrous 21 pounds to reach the lightweight division’s 155-pound limit. Initially, Lee actually failed to make 155, tipping the scales about a pound over. Luckily, he was given an extra hour by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and ultimately managed to make championship weight.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

Last Saturday, in the main event of the action-packed UFC 216, Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson stepped into the cage to battle for the interim lightweight title. Though Lee started strong, mounting and very nearly finishing Ferguson in the first-frame, his gas tank seemed to empty as the fight progressed. From there, Ferguson was able up the aggression, wear his foe down, and ultimately, lock up a choke for the win.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

Last Saturday night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 216, 25-year-old lightweight contender Kevin Lee stepped in to the Octagon with the streaking Tony Ferguson. He did so in an effort to capture the UFC interim lightweight title. While Lee put up a valiant fight, very nearly finishing Ferguson in the first-round, he was ultimately finished in the third round when he was wrapped up in an arm-triangle choke. Unsurprisingly, this was not the result the young fighter was looking for. That said, he has taken the L with grace.

Chris Taylor - October 7, 2017

A interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee headlined tonight’s UFC 216 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. Round one begins and Kevin Lee comes forward and lands a head kick. Tony shakes it off and circles out. Kevin lands a nice right hand over the top. Ferguson with a low kick. Kevin just misses with another right hand. Tony leaps in and lands a kick to the body. Lee charges forward with a right. He lands another right that knocks Ferguson to the floor. Tony pops back up and cracks Lee coming in. Kevin goes down to one knee and then gets back up. Good start to this one. Lee with a nice left hook. Ferguson comes forward with a front kick. Lee shoots in and scores a takedown. Ferguson tries to sweep but Lee winds up on top. Ferguson utilizing rubber guard. He looks for a should lock but Lee escapes and winds up on top and in full guard. Lee with some ground and pound from the top. Lee moves to north-south position. One minute remains. Lee moves to mount and begins raining down some big shots on Ferguson. Huge elbows and now punches from the mount. Lee is all over him. Round one comes to an end.

Justin Golightly - October 7, 2017

Yesterday was a wild roller coaster of suspense. It was one of the most stressful weigh-ins of UFC history, as yet another fight with Tony Ferguson looked like it was about to be called off. Kevin Lee pushed through a brutal weight cut, made championship weight in his second attempt, keeping the main event still intact. The problem is, situations like this happen all the time. Kevin Lee made it through healthy, but it doesn’t always end up that way. His coach spoke out yesterday after the weigh-in and said that fighters will always do this until the system changes. Told y’all I ain’t no bitch. #scaredyadidntI

Russell Ess - October 6, 2017

The weigh-ins for UFC 216 were filled with suspense as Kevin Lee waited till the very last moment to weigh in for his UFC interim title fight against Tony Ferguson. Lee needed a towel to weigh in as he took off all of his clothing to ensure no extra weight was on him and stepped on the scale and tried to wipe any remaining sweat off his body. The “Motown Phenom” had a look of confidence as he stared down at the official operating the scale and even nodded his head and made a fist.

Justin Golightly - October 6, 2017

We’re just an hour removed from one of the most stressful weigh-ins in UFC history. If you want to go through the suspenseful play-by-play, you can relive the entire situation right here. After the sweat and the panic, Kevin Lee walked slowly to the scale with literally seconds left to weigh-in. Unfortunately, he was one single pound off and title fights do not allow for a one pound allowance. With doctor’s approval, he was given the go-ahead to safely lose one pound with in an hour. He then went back and performed the magic: The interim title fight is on. Spotted in lobby a few minutes ago: Kevin Lee, headphones on, walking with his team, holding his coach’s arm for support. #UFC216 weigh-ins

Justin Golightly - October 6, 2017

Fighting any opponent is more than just what they can do to you in the Octagon. It always has been. As the sport grew more popular, now it’s more different than ever. Kevin Lee just didn’t have to deal with preparing for Tony Ferguson’s unorthodox techniques, but endure social media trash talk, being around him for media obligations, and dozens and dozens of interviews. It’s a normal thing to not like what you’re opponent says, but much like Conor McGregor, going through the war of words with Tony Ferguson is a whole different ball game because of how… unique he is. “Yeah, [Tony Ferguson]’s a weirdo. Like I said, I hit you with facts. He comes up with all these scenarios in his head. I told him, he’s gotta’ stop smoking whatever it is you’s smoking, bro. I don’t know, he be on some — I just let him do what he do. He talk about how I’m a fake and all this but, let’s be honest, the man’s a Mexican from Michigan and he can’t even speak Spanish. So, it is what it is, he’s a weird dude. I don’t really like going back and forth with him. It’s kind of frustrating, I think you can even see it on my face.”

Russell Ess - October 5, 2017

Ahead of his UFC 216 interim lightweight title fight against Tony Ferguson that takes place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kevin Lee has been getting a lot of attention with the words he has been choosing to say to the media. However, it will all come down to his performance and how he does in the Octagon against Ferguson, who is on an impressive nine-fight winning streak in the UFC lightweight division. Tony’s the hardest fight in this division,” Lee said to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “Once I beat him, then there’s no denying me any further.”

Tom Taylor - October 4, 2017

If Kevin Lee beats Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 this weekend, he’ll be crowned the UFC interim lightweight champion and establish himself as one of the most likely opponents for reigning lightweight champion Conor McGregor. In the event that a win alone isn’t enough to coax the Irishman into a fight, Lee says he’s also preparing to cut a dynamite promo for a fight with McGregor in his post-fight Octagon interview. Lee admitted this plan on a recent episode of Big Brown Breakdown with Brendan Schaub.

Tom Taylor - October 4, 2017

This Saturday, in the main event of the stacked UFC 216, Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson will battle for the UFC interim lightweight title. Lee will enter this fight on an applause-worthy 5-fight win-streak. Ferguson, meanwhile, will step into the cage with an even more impressive nine straight wins in his wake.

Tom Taylor - October 4, 2017

Kevin Lee’s UFC 216 opponent is the streaking Tony Ferguson. While Ferguson is surely at the forefront of his focus, he’s also still finding opportunities to share his opinions on the lightweight division’s other top players. One the latest lightweights to find himself in Lee’s crosshairs was Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov. Lee went off on Nurmagomedov at a UFC 216 media luncheon earlier this week, accusing him of avoiding tough fights to protect is undefeated 24-0 record.

Russell Ess - October 3, 2017

There is no doubt that fighting Conor McGregor is the golden ticket in the UFC, especially if you can beat the Irishman. However, Kevin Lee is playing his cards in an interesting way saying that if he wins the interim title fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 216, “The Notorious” will have to “prove” to him that he is ready for the title unification challenge.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2017

On September 16, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin finally met in the boxing ring. Though the majority of fight fans seem to believe Golovkin did enough to win this bout, controversial judge Adalaide Byrd scored it a baffling  118-110 for Canelo. In the wake of this controversy, Byrd has been given a bit of a break by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which means she won’t be judging Kevin Lee’s upcoming UFC 216 interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson. Kevin Lee couldn’t be happier about that.  “I’ll tell you what, I’m glad Adelaide Byrd is off my damn card,” Lee said during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow. “I’m fighting a Mexican, too. Look, she had me shook. I’m glad they made the right decision and threw her off the card. I don’t necessarily think there was any conspiracy, or nothing crazy like that. I just think she’s a Canelo fan.”