Kevin Lee News

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

We’re still a wreck from yesterday but Kevin Lee looks on top of the world. A couple of days ago, it was reported that he had to lose 19lbs in 20 hours. It was a long and stressful cut, but he pulled it off yesterday. Last night after the big ceremonial weigh-ins, Kevin Lee joined Megan Olivi to talk about the whole situation. Thankfully, he was sipping on a drink during the interview. “It’s always a tough weight cut. This is my first time in a title fight, so we just mistimed it a little bit. But, I feel like a million bucks now. I got some hydration in me. I’m going to be the bigger, stronger man out there. I always am. And, like I said yesterday, I ain’t no b-tch. It’s always going to be a tough weight cut, but I’m going to get it done. Tony [Ferguson] already know. It’s no more time for talking. Talking is over. I let him have the media yesterday. I let him get out his little scenarios, his little words, whatever he want to say. The time for talking is over.”

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

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.”

Justin Golightly - October 5, 2017

We’re mere days away from Tony Ferguson finally stepping back into the Octagon, after being plagued by some bad luck at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov. It seemed like MMA’s Groundhog Day. The fight would always go along and just never happen. Jokes about Nurmagomedov eating tiramisu caused by the UFC Embedded show leading up to the fight came and went, and came… and went again. Now, it’s been reported that Kevin Lee weighs as if he’s about to challenge for the interim welterweight title instead of the lightweight. Worst of all, he may have enjoyed tiramisu himself. … about the tiramisu, not the 174 pounds. Needs to hit 155 pounds in around 21.5 hours.

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

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.

Justin Golightly - October 3, 2017

Fight week for fighters is a special kind of hell. You’re so close to the fight that you’ve prepared months for, but it’s just out of reach. You’re doing media, cameras are always around you, and worst of all, you’re cutting weight. Some fighters cut an obscene amount of weight. Conor McGregor went through a completely tame MMA cut in comparison to his others for the Floyd Mayweather fight, and Mayweather was worried he wouldn’t even make it to the fight. One guy who never worries about his cut, is Demetrious Johnson. In fact, he basically eats whatever he wants. He detailed his diet sitting next to Kevin Lee, who was visibly tortured and munching on arugula. “I’ll stay at 125lbs. After this I probably won’t fight until March, maybe February or March possibly. We’ll see. I’ll stay at 125lbs. Last night I went out to dinner, had two chicken breasts with mashed potatoes, broccolini, it was seasoned, had all the good-goods on it. And I woke up weighing 138.1lbs. So, it’s not [a problem for me to make 125lbs]. the only time I get to like, 142-143lbs, is I have a rack of ribs with a delicious Negra Modelo. I eat whatever I want and still be able to make this weight. Yeah, I eat dessert and all this stuff. I had Oreos before I came down [to the media lunch]. I had chocolate ones because I ate through all the vanilla Oreos that day before.”

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.”

Russell Ess - September 28, 2017

Kevin Lee has the biggest fight of his career coming in just over a week as he will fight Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 216. While the two lightweights will battle for the interim title, Lee believes that this is the real lightweight title fight with Conor McGregor more of a business champ rather than a lightweight Ultimate Fighting Champion.

Russell Ess - September 28, 2017

Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson are set to headline UFC 216 as the two will fight for the UFC interim lightweight title. There is also another title fight on the card as Demetrious Johnson will look to set a UFC record and surpass Anderson Silva for the most consecutive UFC title defenses, taking on Ray Borg in the co-main event. Interestingly, Johnson and Borg were set to headline UFC 215 but the bout was canceled just days before the fight date with Borg being sick and deemed unfit to compete by doctors.

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

The interim UFC lightweight title is up for grabs just a few weekends away at UFC 216, which is why trash talk between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee has been reaching a boiling point. Profanity has been flying around like the kicks and punches will be on October 7th. Lee is confident he is going to expletive Ferguson’s expletives, but El Cucuy hopes those aren’t just empty promises, but that Lee has actually prepared for the war he expects. “Pressure [is how I beat Kevin Lee]. I make him quit. I test his conditioning. Hit him in the stomach. Make him piss blood. He said,’I’m gonna’ f-ck you up,’ but I didn’t hear not one thing saying he was going to be physical, or he’s training for it, or doing all these different things to prepare for that.”

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

There has been an endless stream of trash talk since Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee were booked to fight. Actually, it was even before that when the war of words started. After his quick win over Michael Chiesa, Lee already started digging into Ferguson in their post-fight interview live on the air. As wild as the verbal battle has been, the physical fight between the two is sure to be even better… and very violent. “I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony [Ferguson]. I’ll beat him. I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony . Tony can take a shot, I like to give shots, I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony. I’mma’ beat the hell out of him. I’m going to I beat him from pillar to post. Y’all just wait, the folks don’t really know. I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony.”

Justin Golightly - September 16, 2017

After multiple failed attempts to make an interim title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee are going to fight for the interim UFC lightweight belt on October 4th. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor gallavants on yachts reaping the spoils from his multi-multi-million dollar fight with Floyd Mayweather. Not bad for a guy who lost the fight, huh? Kevin Lee didn’t seem impressed with McGregor’s performance, but holds Ferguson in a high regard for the scraps that he’s put down inside the Octagon. “I knew [Floyd] Mayweather was going to beat Conor [McGregor] because Conor’s a quitter. Conor quit during that fight. That’s the thing about fighting, you can’t hide who you really are. If you a b-tch it’s gonna’ show and this is not the first time. It showed in his first Nate Diaz fight. It showed again in the second Nate Diaz fight and it showed versus Mayweather. When you’re slapping around and kind of signaling to the refs that you tired. That’s him wanting to quit. That’s him wanting out. You’ll never see Tony Ferguson like that. Tony Ferguson went to war with [Rafael] dos Anjos for five rounds in Mexico City at altitude. Of course he’s tired, but he’s not going to show it like that.”

Justin Golightly - September 13, 2017

After losing the belt from Conor McGregor’s sniper left hand and an unfortunate no contest with Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez is on his journey back to the UFC lightweight title. He’s coaching the 26th season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Justin Gaethje. If he’s able to derail Gaethje’s hype train, Alvarez (#3) could be next in line for a title shot. That is, if Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson weren’t fighting for the interim lightweight strap. Recently on the Talking Brawls podcast, Eddie Alvarez weighed-in on the match-up. “Who are [Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson]? Who are they? I don’t even know what that fight is. I don’t know what happened there. Out of nowhere, they made an interim belt and had Lee fight Ferguson. This is very odd for me what went on there. I’m surprised at that one, not all the matchmaking, just that in particular one. It seems like I did [The Ultimate Fighter 26], like alright, I’m going to do the show, I’m going to fight Justin [Gaethje] and work my way back to a number one contender and stuff like that.”