After getting back on the winning track with a one-sided beatdown over Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 128 this past April (see it), Kevin Lee is ready to get back on the horse for back-to-back wins. And he already has a opponent in mind.
During a recent interview with ESPN, Lee said he’d like to throw down against former UFC 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis at the upcoming UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) event on October 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. And judging by his comments, UFC is open to the matchup.
“I think the UFC likes the fight. Apparently, there are two more spots on that UFC 229 card. They are trying to find see where everyone settles. Tony Ferguson is still out there. There are some moving parts, but that’s the fight that makes sense.”
Lee also revealed on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show that he had a conversation with former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre after “Rush” turned his challenge down, explaining his reasoning to him over the phone. And while Lee understood St-Pierre’s explanation, he did take it as disrespect, which Pettis may now have to answer for.
“I get his reason for not taking a fight against me,” Lee said. “I’m a big risk and not much reward. I get it. I’ll move past it,” he added. ”That said, I kind of took it a little bit as disrespect. I took it as a little bit of a challenge, that he doesn’t see me as worth his time. I’ll make my point. If I have to show how good I am again, and Anthony Pettis has to be the victim of it, then I’ll beat the f— out of Anthony Pettis.”
Lee — who failed to win the interim 155-pound strap against Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 — he aims to show the he really is the best lightweight on the planet, and says fighters in his division should be wanting to face him now before he gets better.
Furthermore, should “Showtime” not accept his challenge, he plans to show up to UFC 229 ready to fight last minute.
“I’m the best lightweight out there, for sure,” Lee said. “Not only that, but I’m getting better and better. I’m constantly looking to improve myself. That’s why I’ve even stayed out of the media for bit, I’ve been working on my skills. Whatever the UFC decides, I’m going to be ready to go on Oct. 6, ready to make that weight, even if they don’t find me an opponent.”
Of course, a Lightweight title fight between division champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will headline UFC 229, which means Lee will be ready and willing to step in should either one of them not make it to the fight.