Kevin Lee Plots October Return, Open To Chiesa Rematch

Kevin Lee’s UFC welterweight debut back in May against Rafael dos Anjos didn’t go to plan as the former lightweight contender lost via submission in the fourth round. “The Motown Phenom” said he’s targeting a return to the Octagon in October and his next fight could be a rematch with Michael Chiesa.

The pair previously met back in 2017 in Oklahoma City in the 155-pound division where Lee made short work of Chiesa, submitting him in the opening round. However, the finish was controversial; referee Mario Yamasaki believed Chiesa lost consciousness during the choke attempt and stopped the fight only for “Maverick” to immediately protest that he was still conscious.

Fast forward to 2019, both men have now moved up to the welterweight division and a rematch could be in the cards with Chiesa publicly stating that it’s a fight he wants. Lee made an appearance on Submission Radio recently and said if Chiesa wants a rematch then he’d be down for it (Transcript via MMA Fighting):

“That’s definitely something that’s still on the table,” Lee said. “If he feels like he wants to run it back, I definitely love free money so I’m not gonna turn it down. He’s a good competitor, I’ll give him that, [but] they’ve tossed him a couple softballs. I haven’t fought a Diego Sanchez in my career yet. I don’t get them kind of softballs. I’m taking on former world champions. We’ll see how that whole thing plays out. There could still be some smoke there, and if there’s smoke, there might be some fire.”

The 26-year-old has taken some time off following his loss to dos Anjos and said he’s targeting a return in October, on a pay-per-view card:

“October,” Lee said. “October is where it’s at, that’s what we’re looking at,” Lee said. “We’re trying to figure out right now location and what card. I think a Pay-Per-View makes a lot of sense. I think there’s one here in Vegas so a homecoming in Vegas always sounds good but then again, there’s the San Francisco card in October. It’s a lot going on so October is when I’m looking at.”