Kevin Lee is one of the most talented contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, but he envisions a more lucrative future for himself in a newly-created weight class.
“The Motown Phenom” explained what he hopes to see happen in a recent interview with the Straits Times ahead of UFC Fight Night 132 in Singapore.
“Right now, [what] makes the most sense is to really correct the divisions,” Lee said. “The 155-pound and 170-pound [divisions] are so messed up right now. You’ve got three titles between the two divisions already, so they’ve got to add another weight class.
“I think me and Georges [St. Pierre] for the 165-pound title makes the most amount of sense. You do Conor [McGregor] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] in October, you do me and Georges in November, at Madison Square Garden. And maybe you do Tyron [Woodley] and Colby [Covington] to figure out the 170-pound division.”
Last year, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports voted unanimously to adopt four new weight classes — super lightweight (165 pounds), super welterweight (175 pounds), super middleweight (195 pounds) and cruiserweight (225 pounds) – to mixed martial arts. The addition of those weight classes does not make promotions obligated to include them, and thus far, the UFC has not moved toward doing anything along those lines.
The 25-year-old Lee is coming off an impressive fifth-round stoppage of Edson Barboza in the main event of UFC Fight Night 128 on April 21. However, Lee did miss weight for the contest, checking in at 157 pounds one day prior. Lee seems to be less interested in a move to 170 pounds due to the status of the division, which is why he wants a 165-pound title created.
The date Lee has targeted to face St. Pierre would be UFC 230, which is reportedly set for Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“Georges is one of the ones that really got me into the sport, I’ve kinda even modelled my career after him a little bit,” Lee said. “We started in the same first promotion, we had the same first manager, we have the same management [Creative Artists Agency] now.
“There are so many parallels to us now, that I think that adds even more intrigue to the fight. It will be the hardest fight of my career, it’ll be the biggest challenge But, as soon as I get back home from UFC Singapore, I’m going to go back and figure out how to beat the man.”
Lee’s dream becoming a reality might be farfetched, as St. Pierre seems more likely to return for a lightweight title shot against the winner of a potential Nurmagomedov-McGregor bout. For now, it is not guaranteed that St. Pierre will return to the Octagon again, period.