26-year-old UFC lightweight Kevin Lee was believed to be a bonafide title contender in the near future.
In fact, Lee has already competed for an interim 155-pound strap. After a five-fight win streak, Lee faced Tony Ferguson for the title. However, Lee suffered from a staph infection and didn’t compete to the best of his ability. Despite some strong early showings, Lee was submitted by Ferguson in the third round.
He bounced back with a dominant fifth-round TKO victory over Edson Barboza. Over the weekend (Sat. December 15, 2018) Lee headlined the last UFC on FOX card before the promotion switches over to ESPN. He fought Al Iaquinta in a five-round war that would be determined on the judges’ scorecards.
Iaquinta was awarded the unanimous decision victory. After the loss, Lee took to Instagram and issued a statement to fans on the defeat. Here’s what he had to say (via MMA Junkie):
“The fight on Saturday, I still feel like we won it. I fought a lot off my back foot as a southpaw and against my natural fighting style. My explosiveness and coming forward and being aggressive.
“I tried to show something a little too different. Al showed up, he put on a great performance, landed a great shot in the fourth round. All I can say is: I’m going to be back, I’m still going to be a champ regardless of where it’s at and what it is.”
Lee followed up with another post shortly after:
“I beat racism, the system, poverty, and everybody that wanna see me lose for no reason. Fuck being humble”
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