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ONE Championship might be the perfect destination for recently released former interim UFC title contender Kevin 'The Mowtown Phenom' Lee.
Lee is 1-4 in his last five UFC outings and is currently serving a 6-month suspension as he tested positive for the banned substance Adderall. A few days ago, the UFC brought down the hammer on 'The Mowtown Phenom' and released him from their roster.
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A very disappointed Lee expressed his thoughts on the release with Ariel Helwani in an episode of The MMA Hour YouTube show. Despite the heartbreak of the sudden termination, the former college wrestling standout chose to look forwards with big plans for his fighting future:
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"My only goal and objective right now is to show that they [UFC] just made one of the worst mistakes. You know I'll be a millionaire within the year. So that's pretty fun. I got three different offers yesterday. Right now, we are gonna do a little bit of negotiating. The thing is I am still serving a suspension. So I might just wait till the end of the suspension. Maybe, if I would have found [about the UFC release] a month ago, I'd already be signed with a promotion. But we will see."
Watch his full interview here:
Lee is just 29 years old and is arguably just reaching his fighting prime. Though his career has been in a rough state lately, it doesn't mean that the once-surging contender can't turn his career around. ONE Championship could open up a lot of opportunities for Lee that might not be available in other promotions. Today we list 5 reasons why ONE Championship is the perfect destination for Kevin Lee.
#5. ONE Championship offers interesting match-ups for Lee
Whether he chooses to fight at 155 pounds or 170 pounds, Lee will not run out of stylistic match ups in ONE Championship. If he wants to grapple and test his might on the ground, fighters like Yusup Saadulaev, Shinya Aoki, Christian Lee, and Garry Tonon can offer up worthy challenges.
If the former UFC fighter wants to kickbox his way into title contention, ONE Championship has a murderers' row of sluggers waiting for him. Fighters like Timofey Nastyukhin, Martin Nguyen, and Tang Kai will offer problems on the feet that Lee would enjoy solving.
#4. Other former UFC fighters have found success in ONE Championship
Though there are a significant number of ex-UFC fighters who struggled in ONE Championship, there are others who have found tremendous success.
Former UFC fighters like Brandon Vera, John Lineker and Demetrious Johnson have winning records in the promotion. ONE heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar and featherweight champ Than Le both had stints in the UFC. The aforementioned Bhullar is so dominant in his weight class that he even urged UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic to jump ship and fight him.
Bottom line, ONE Championship has become a powerhouse organization where fighters can find success in whichever martial art they choose to pursue. Not only that, these fighters also enjoy a significant fan base and competitive salaries.
If Lee decides to sign with ONE, there's a possibility that he'll match or even surpass the successes of his fellow UFC alums.
#3. ONE Championship doesn't only showcase MMA
With the inception of ONE Super Series and the signing of superstar grapplers like Andre Galvao and Gordon Ryan, ONE has changed the game. The Asian promotion now houses four different combat sports under its banner. You've got MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission grappling. It's unheard of in the combat sports business.
With a strong collegiate wrestling background and a lengthy MMA career, it would be interesting to see Lee dip his toes in submission grappling. Who knows what the exceptional grappler could achieve in that sport.
A more exciting proposition is for Lee to sign on to ONE Championship Super Series and test his skills against the best kickboxers and Muay Thai fighters in the world. Lee's head-kick KO of Gregor Gillespie shows his potential in a straight kickboxing bout.
Imagine the former UFC vet squaring off against ONE lightweight kickboxing king Regian 'The Immortal' Eersel. Now that's an interesting fight to see.
#2. Lee matches well with ONE Championship's featherweight and lightweight champions
Though it's highly unlikely that he will get a title shot right away, Lee does pose a significant threat against ONE Championship's featherweight and lightweight champions.
'The Motown Phenom' is an exceptional grappler with powerful takedowns, crushing top game, and dangerous back control. Four of his seven finishes in the UFC came by way of his signature rear-naked choke.
If matched up against ONE featherweight champion Thanh Le, the ex-UFC title contender definitely has an advantage in the grappling department. Thanh Le has been submitted twice in his career via rear naked choke (one of which was in The Ultimate Fighter). Not only that, but Than Le also has had problems with strong grapplers like Yusup Saadulaev. In their fight, Saadulaev took the champion down and controlled him on the ground.
Same case against ONE Championship lightweight king Ok Rae Yoon. The lightweight champion is a known striker but has had some challenges when pitted against grapplers. It is unknown what weight Lee would fight at if ever he signs with ONE, but rest assured, he already matches well with those divisions' champions.
#1. ONE Championship has completely abolished weight cutting
This has been a thorn in Lee's side during his career. The collegiate wrestling standout has missed weight twice in the UFC and has often looked dried up during weigh-ins at 155 pounds.
His difficult weight cuts forced Lee to venture into 170-pounds where he was dominated by Rafael dos Anjos and Daniel Rodriguez. There's no denying that Lee has had problems managing his weight and it has arguably caused his downfall in the cage.
With the advent of dehydration-related injuries that's been plaguing the MMA world for years, ONE Championship has created a system to fix this problem. On the new revolutionary system, ONE Championship's official website says:
The new program, which is the first of its kind for combat sports, is focused on athlete safety by introducing “walking-weight” competition via multiple weigh-ins and tests before and during fight week, including three hours before an event begins...An athlete’s “walking-weight” will be determined by a robust system that will track his/her weight on a regular basis throughout the period that the athlete is contracted to ONE.
ONE Championship's absolute care for its fighters is unprecedented and would definitely benefit Lee in his career. Not only will he be fighting healthy, Lee will be mandated to fight at a weight that's optimal for his performance. The undeniably talented and skilled fighter will shine the most once his hurdles of weight cutting and conditioning have been dealt with for good.
