Morning Report: Kevin Lee names Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler as possible return opponents
Kevin Lee believes his retirement wasnāt meant to be.
Less than one year into his life post-combat, “The Mo-Town Phenom” got the itch to return to active competition. Taking to Twitter last week, Lee announced he’s getting in “the best shape of my life” ahead of the eventual 28th fight of his career (19-8).
The one-time interim lightweight title challenger’s last appearance was supposed to be the launching pad for a successful second stint in the UFC. Unfortunately for Lee, he came up short in 55 seconds when submitted by a Rinat Fakhretdinov guillotine choke this past July. So who could he look to rebound against for his next time out? A rematch of his October 2017 title tilt with Tony Ferguson interests Lee, but so do some other rather notable lightweight stars.
āThereās a couple great fights [I’m interested in],ā Lee told MiddleEasy. āTony Ferguson, maybe the winner or loser of Conor [McGregor] and [Michael] Chandler.
āIām honestly not focused too much on opponents right now. I think I have a long road ahead of me as far as getting healthy [goes]. Two, getting into shape, and three, signing a contract. Then maybe we can look at location and then talk about opponents. So, itās far down the road for me to be thinking about opponents.ā
Nothing is set in stone in any facet as mentioned by Lee. Hell, the long-awaited McGregor vs. Chandler matchup still isn’t even official after what feels like an eternity of build. Ultimately, Lee expects to get something pinned down for the summer.
The 31-year-old has found his best success in the 155-pound lightweight class and strung together a strong five-fight winning streak before his third-round triangle choke defeat to Ferguson. After the Ferguson loss, he struggled to find a solid foundation at either lightweight or welterweight, however. Going forward, he believes it’s time to be as disciplined as possible and get back to the stability he had during his rise to title contention as a lightweight.
āItās a tough cut, itās always been a tough cut, but Iāve always been able to make it,ā Lee said of lightweight. āThe only time I wasnāt was for the Charles Oliveira fight, which I came close in but there was a lot of letās say extenuating circumstances around the whole COVID thing and all that leading up to that fight and that weight cut that got it away. I think Iāve been a little soft about cutting weight over the last couple years. Itās tough, itās probably the hardest part of the sport but I think itās absolutely necessary, and especially if Iām gonna be chasing world championships. I have to go through it just like everybody else. We can look and we can say, āOh, we shouldnāt be cutting weight or we should not blah, blah, blah,ā but at the end of the day, we gotta cut weight. If you want to compete, youāre gonna have to cut the weight and thatās what it is for me.
āI can make the weight. Thatās where most my success comes from, thatās what my frame is built for and me trying to pack on the pounds and go to 170, not only is it bad for my joints and bad for my knees, it made me slower and itās just an unsuccessful [attempt].ā
In the end, Lee is happy to leave behind welterweight where he last fought but also is glad to have gotten physical proof of how things would turn out for him. Against Fakhretdinov in his first UFC comeback fight, that was just a result he admits could have been avoided.
āIn hindsight, it was a dumb fight, it was stupid,ā Lee said. āI mean, I knew my knee was torn to shreds the entire time, it was the worst training camp that I ever had. I couldnāt even spar or go hard in the training camp at all. That fight was purely out of pride and ego of me being cut from the UFC, and not on the terms that I would have liked and me kind of getting this opportunity and letting my pride take over and say I would do it. Yeah. in hindsight, it was a terrible decision.ā
TOP STORIES
Business. Matt Brown reacts to Dustin Poirierās āmisunderstandingā with UFC, reveals details from past negotiations
Intense. Francis Ngannou promises to take Anthony Joshuaās āsoulā next month
Legals. Gina Carano files lawsuit funded by Elon Musk against Disney over firing from āThe Mandalorianā
Matchmaking. Renato Moicano playing long game for Paddy Pimblett fight: āThis is chess, not checkersā
Injury. Colby Covington shares foot X-ray, says he went into āpanic modeā after first round of UFC 296 loss
VIDEO STEW
Sound & Pound.
Free fights.
UFC Journey: Hermansson vs. Pyfer.
ONE 165 Highlights and BTS.
Throwback.
Aspinall and MVP.
I spy Dana?
LISTEN UP
Heck of a Morning. MMA Fightingās Mike Heck discusses if Ilia Topuria is now in a must-win situation ahead of Alexander Volkanovski fight at UFC 298.
MORNING MUSIC
Just discovered VUKOVI and Iām in. Solid, fun stuff. Visit my city, please!
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Timeless.
Dang.
Lightweights.
Should have been champ.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bolaji Oki (8-1) vs. Timothy Cuamba (8-1); UFC Vegas 86, Feb. 10
FINAL THOUGHTS
There are multiple, very different reasons that none of those three matchup options should happen. Iāll leave it at that.
A healthy Lee at lightweight is always an interesting thing though. Where does he fit into all of this in 2024?
Thanks for reading!
EXIT POLL
Poll
Who of the three that he mentioned interests you most for Kevin Lee?
71%
Tony Ferguson
(143 votes)
9%
Conor McGregor
(18 votes)
19%
Michael Chandler
(38 votes)
199 votes total
Vote Now
If you find something youād like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Good