'Him losing was great because now I can fight him sooner' - Kevin Lee wants a fight with Conor McGregor
Kevin Lee has asserted that it’s a good thing Conor McGregor lost at UFC 257. Lee believes that The Notorious One’s loss will now help him get a fight against the Irishman soon.
Conor McGregor recently suffered the first knockout loss of his professional MMA career. At UFC 257 in January 2021, The Notorious One faced Dustin Poirier, in a rematch of their fight from September 2014. Despite heading into the fight as the favorite, the Irishman ended up losing to Poirier via a second-round TKO.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, UFC Lightweight contender Kevin Lee opened up on a myriad of topics. The Motown Phenom notably spoke about Conor McGregor as well. Kevin Lee stated –
“Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think that shocked a lot of people, shocked everybody really. I think it even shocked (Conor) McGregor. You know, you kind of see it in his eyes when he was going down. Yeah, I don’t know. It shook up the game, that’s for sure. It’s damn sure shook up the game, but it made it a little more interesting, to be honest. If he had won, I think it would have kind of fell right in line to where you saw everything going. But that’s one of the things we love about this game, love about MMA, you just really never know what’s going to happen.”
“So, I think if anything, his stock kind of went up still. I know a lot of people are looking at it like, ‘Oh, he’s a striker, and he got knocked out. So, he’s gonna be on the down for a long time’. I think his stock kind of went up by losing. I think people want to see him lose. So, they’re gonna want to see him lose again. They got a taste of that; they’re gonna want it again. So, and for me personally, him losing was great because now I can fight him sooner.” said Kevin Lee. (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Furthermore, Kevin Lee suggested that Conor McGregor shouldn’t receive an immediate rematch with Dustin Poirier. He suggested that the Irishman should instead be booked in a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz.
Kevin Lee added that after Conor McGregor fights Nate Diaz, both men could fight one another at the end of the 2021 calendar year.
Conor McGregor and Kevin Lee are looking to return to winning ways
Kevin Lee’s last fight was a third-round submission loss against Charles Oliveira in March 2020.
Lee has emphasized that he’s looking to return to the octagon at the earliest and get back to his winning ways. Lee’s next opponent is yet to be determined.
Conor McGregor has vowed to make a triumphant comeback in his next fight. The Notorious One and his team have been campaigning for UFC to book the former double champion in a trilogy matchup against Dustin Poirier.