Kevin Lee has been chasing a fight with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for quite a while now. After a failed attempt to move to welterweight, a fourth-round submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos in May, Lee will be dropping back down to 155 pounds to take on Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. Lee (18-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) said his move back down to lightweight was largely due in part to Nurmagomedov’s continued dominance in the division, a challenge he’d love to take on some day. “This is the title that I want to have,” Lee told MMA Junkie. “And after seeing the Khabib fight, the last lightweight title fight, I think some guys in the game, they see these things and they don’t … of course I’m always focused on myself, but I’m going to acknowledge when I see something that sparks a little bit of motivation out of me. And seeing what Khabib did to Dustin Poirier in the fashion that he did it in, it motivated me a little bit more to go back down.” Related Khabib Nurmagomedov targets two more years of fighting: 'I think it's impossible' to stay undefeated Justin Gaethje: Khabib Nurmagomedov is a bigger superstar than Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagomedov targets Russia return against Tony Ferguson, tells Conor McGregor to 'get in line' Having struggled in the past with his weight cuts down to lightweight, Lee admitted he was pressured to make the move up to 170
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Kevin Lee not afraid to wrestle UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov if given chance – MMA Junkie