Kevin Lee: Jorge Masvidal And Nate Diaz Should Have Fought For 165-Pound Title
Kevin Lee is not a fan of the upcoming BMF title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
Masvidal and Diaz will compete in the main event of UFC 244 in November for the one-time belt. One of the reasons that fight was booked as the headliner was because of the welterweight division remaining stagnant, at least until Kamaru Usman’s fight with Colby Covington was recently booked.
That is also one of the reasons why Lee has opted to return to lightweight after an unsuccessful welterweight debut earlier this year:
“It was a lot of factors,” Lee told MMA Junkie. “Lightweight was starting to get a lot more momentum going, especially after the way Khabib (Nurmagomedov) beat Dustin (Poirier) the way that he did, and there’s so many moving parts.
“Welterweight has kind of gotten a little stagnant. They’re doing this new title now that Masvidal and Diaz are fighting for. It’s kind of a little boys title.”
165-Pound Title?
Lee has long been a campaigner for the UFC to introduce the 165-pound division. And he feels rather than a new BMF belt, Masvidal and Diaz should have competed for a 165-pound title instead and opened up a new division:
“They should have made a 165-pound title if they’re going to make another one,” Lee added. “I mean, I hate to beat a dead horse like that, but because there was so little movement up there (welterweight), and my body naturally just wanted to go back down to 155, so I feel like this is the right move to do.”
As for Lee, the “Motown Phenom” is reportedly set to face Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. It will notably be his first proper fight under new head coach Firas Zahabi of Tristar.
“It was really to work with Firas Zahabi,” Lee said of his move to Tristar in Montreal. “I’ve been missing a head coach for a long time now, and I think that’s one of the biggest keys to me moving and getting to that next level. So I feel like I got the right guy now, and now it’s just time to show it.
“I’m really here to work with Firas (Zahabi), and I feel like his brain is already getting into me, and I’m feeling better as the days go.”
What do you make of Lee’s comments?
