Kevin Lee gets short-notice replacement opponent for UFC Vegas 35, takes on rising contender Daniel Rodriguez

UFC welterweight Kevin Lee got a short-notice replacement opponent for UFC Vegas 35, as he now takes on rising contender Daniel Rodriguez.

Lee was expected to fight top prospect Sean Brady at UFC Vegas 35, which is set to take place on August 28 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately for fight fans who were very much looking forward to that fight, Brady pulled out with an injury, which temporarily left Lee without an opponent. “The Motown Phenom” then took to his social media, where he called out several other fighters including Mike Perry, but in the end, he will end up facing the man who last defeated Perry in Rodriguez. ESPN broke the news.

Lee (18-6) has not competed since March 2020, when he was submitted by current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The 28-year-old Lee has actually lost three of his last four fights overall, but the one win in that span was a beautiful head kick KO over top contender Gregor Gillespie which showed that Lee still has what it takes to be an elite fighter. However, he also lost to Rafael dos Anjos and Al Iaquinta during that stretch, with the loss to RDA coming at 170lbs. After losing to Oliveira at 155lbs, Lee decided that he will be making the move back up to welterweight and his return fight will come against D-Rod.

Rodriguez (15-2) is 5-1 overall in the UFC since making his promotional debut in February 2020. Since then, the 34-year-old Rodriguez has defeated the aforementioned Perry, plus Preston Parsons, Tim Means, Gabe Green, and Dwight Grant, with his lone loss in the Octagon coming via a controversial decision to Nicolas Dalby. Overall, Rodriguez is a very solid welterweight and he should make for a tough test for Lee in his return to 170lbs.

Who do you think wins this welterweight fight at UFC Vegas 35 between Kevin Lee and Daniel Rodriguez?