Kevin Lee wishes he got the chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. He might be fighting at welterweight this Saturday, a fresh start for Lee, but there’s a big Russian question mark on the lightweight phase of his career.
Lee told The MMA Hour that he wanted Khabib for a long time, but a chance to fight “The Russian Eagle” never presented itself. Lee’s prodigious wrestling, he believes, would have given him a better chance against Khabib, whose brutally effective mauling depended heavily on out-wrestling his opponents.
Lee Laments Losing Chance to Fight Khabib: “He never really fought a great wrestler”
“I’m a f*cking bug. I’m a f*cking bug, once I got my eyes on you, I’m on you. Nothing that happens can deter it.
That’s just a guy I want to test myself against and yeah, he’s a great champion and all that, but people even now are starting to see that he didn’t really have the challenges that he should have had to really be an all-time great. He never really fought a great wrestler and that was something that I was seeing the whole time coming up.
I feel like now you’re starting to see now that he’s getting a little more vocal and people are sitting back and really looking at the whole career, they’re really seeing it for what it is and not just all this hype and all these Russian bots that kind of get behind him.”
Nurmagomedov, who retired with a 29-0 record, is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He shows no signs of returning to competition, so Lee may never get the chance to test his mettle against the best.
Lee, however, held a 11-5 lightweight record, although he struggled to make weight several times. Lee was always large for the lightweight division, and it’s clear that he will be more comfortable, and presumably more competitive as a result, at 170 pounds.
Kevin Lee remains disappointed that he never got the chance to fight Khabib or his heir apparent, Islam Makhachev.
“It is a little disappointing. Sometimes I say a little too much and I feel like they got a good manager. Ali’s a smart man. He’s seen me around a lot and they did their best to keep them on the right path.”
Lee joked that in order to compete with Khabib, he might have to strap on a pair of soccer cleats and kick the ball around.
“It is a little disappointing that fight never happened with me and Khabib if he doesn’t come back, but I see the man’s out there playing soccer, so who knows maybe I might pick up a soccer ball or something and kick something around and we can have a little one-on-one match one of these days. Who knows?”
Do you think Kevin Lee could have troubled Khabib, or would he too have crumbled before Nurmagomedov? Let us know in the comments.
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Screenstinger for great videos, news, and gameplay!
