Kevin Lee and Islam Makhachev agree to fight
Kevin Lee may have his next opponent.
On Monday the “Motown Phenom” verbally agreed to fight Islam Makhachev as the two got into an entertaining exchange on Twitter.
Make it happen Sean @seanshelby @ufc @danawhite https://t.co/URccdQzp06
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) February 4, 2019
Kevin Lee (17-3) will look to avoid two-straight losses for the first time in his career the next time he steps into the octagon. The 26-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Al Iaquinta at UFC on FOX 31. The Xtreme Couture product has now lost two of his last three fights as he also was submitted by Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 in Oct. 2017. Lee boasts wins over Jake Matthews, Michael Chiesa and Edson Barboza. The Michigan born fighter also hinted about a possible coaching switch-up in his training camp ahead of his next scheduled fight.
Islam Makhachev (16-1) is a teammate of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and is currently riding a four-fight win streak. The 27-year-old most recently submitted Kajan Johnson at UFC on FOX 30 this past July, which was his second straight win by stoppage. The American Kickboxing Academy product was slated to face Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 223 before that card ended up being cancelled. Makhachev is 6-1 in the UFC, with his lone loss coming to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 where he was finished in the first round. Last year was the first time since 2015 that the Dagestan born fighter had fought more than twice in the calendar year.
Lee is currently ranked #5 in the lightweight division while Makhachev is currently outside the Top 15 rankings. Nothing has been officially signed yet but the pair have expressed interest on fighting April 13, at UFC 236. That event is a pay-per-view that currently doesn’t have a location or venue.
Would you like to see Kevin Lee vs. Islam Makhachev next? Who do you think would win this fight?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 2/5/2019.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Islam Makhachev Kevin Lee UFC
