Kevin Lee Aiming For Anthony Pettis At UFC 229
It’s no surprise to see Kevin Lee aiming to fight Anthony Pettis at UFC 229.
Lee (17-3) is currently the No. 5-ranked lightweight in the world. Pettis (21-7) occupies the No. 8 spot, just three places behind Lee. A fight between “Showtime” and the “Motown Phenom” actually makes a lot of sense.
According to Lee who spoke with ESPN on Monday, he suggested a fight between him and Pettis to be added to the UFC 229 card.
When asked how the UFC responded to the suggested bout Lee said, ” I think the UFC likes the fight”.
The “Motown Phenom” has been in the news as of late. A rumored Nate Diaz fight was hinted at prior to Diaz’ return being announced against Dustin Poirier at UFC 230. Then Lee tried to lure Georges St-Pierre back out retirement for a fight.
That fight won’t be happening. Lee understands it’s just business.
“I get his reason for not taking a fight against me,” Lee said regarding GSP. “I’m a big risk and not much reward. I get it. I’ll move past it.”
“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.”
As of this writing, Lee doesn’t have an official fight scheduled for UFC 229, however, things can change very quickly in this sport and often they do. Regardless, Lee wants the rest of the division to know that just because he hasn’t been doing as many interviews as of late doesn’t mean he has fallen off.
“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.”
Despite being ranked No. 5 in the lightweight division, Lee says the UFC was pushing him to move up to 170 pounds. Lee thinks that move is to protect the promotion’s undefeated champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov:
“They said that just because they’re trying to push me out of the division,” Lee said. “They’re trying to keep me away from the Russian [Nurmagomedov] boy for as long as possible. I’ve been calling him out for years. I get it, they have a big market in Russia they want to push into, and I’m bad for that business.”
“They’ll try to spin it and say it’s about my health, but at the end of the day, if you put me and Khabib on a scale right now, I’m lighter than the guy. I’m lighter than a lot of guys fighting at 155.”
If the UFC grants Lee his wish and books the ‘Motown Phenom’ v.s ‘Showtime’ at UFC 229, MMA fans will win.
