Chael Sonnen suggests a possible short-notice Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Kevin Lee fight
In the midst of all the confusion regarding Shavkat Rakhmonov and his upcoming fight on January 14, Chael Sonnen has made a case for Kevin Lee to step in and fight the promising talent on short notice.
The Kazakhstan native has been dealt yet another setback for his proposed fight next month as the UFC has reportedly rejected Bryan Barberena's offer to fight the welterweight. News broke over the last couple of days that Geoff Neal suffered an injury and was forced to pull out, leaving the prospect without an opponent.
Despite all the unanswered questions, Chael Sonnen believes he has the perfect plan and has put forward a plan to match Shavkat Rakhmonov against Kevin Lee to save the fight in two weeks' time.
"If Kevin Lee is willing to go in there and fight Rakhmonov and nobody else is, I hope that he's considered for the opportunity... I think it's an interesting proposition. I don't know that there's a better idea, I don't know that by the time I make this piece and get it to you guys or even by the time the event rolls around in a couple of weeks, I don't know if Rakhmonov is going to stay on the card because I don't know of a guy that I can think of that would step in and face him... I know who the favorite would be, but let's not pretend that that's not still an interesting fight."
In his last outing, the 28-year-old proved that he wasn't all talk when he dominated Neil Magny and earned a submission victory late in round two, keeping his 100% finish rate intact.
Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about a potential Geoff Neal replacement in the video below.
Is Kevin Lee likely to be considered for the Shavkat Rakhmonov fight?
Although he is clearly an interesting matchup for the surging talent, Kevin Lee may not be one of the names on the UFC matchmakers' minds due to him no longer being with the company.
'The Motown Phenom' bowed out of the promotion with a less than impressive four losses in his final five fights as he struggled to find a home in the lightweight or welterweight divisions.
Since leaving the UFC, Lee has landed on his feet with Eagle FC—Khabib Nurmagomedov's organization—where he has competed once in a win against Diego Sanchez in their coveted 165lb weight class.