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Kevin Lee has revealed what prompted him to move up to the welterweight division. The former lightweight fighter claimed that after watching Kamaru Usman decimate Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261, Lee decided it was time for him to move up to 170 pounds.
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During his interview with The Schmo, Kevin Lee spoke on the influence of Usman's win over 'Gamebred' and how the reigning UFC welterweight champion helped Lee in making the decision.
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"After the Kamaru Usman fight. After he beat Masvidal, the way that he beat him, I was like, 'Yeah, that's me,' " he said.
Kevin Lee also added that this is the first time since college that he has lifted weights. The last time Lee did so was almost 10 years ago but after his recent surgeries, 'The Motown Phenom' has been focusing a lot on weightlifting.
Lee concluded by saying that he is currently moving around as a middleweight and feels ready for his return.
"You know I'm big too, this is the first time I've ever lifted, really ever since college. So it's been 10 years since I've really lifted weights but to come back off the knee surgeries, I've been doing a lot of weightlifting and I'm moving around middleweight and stuff so, I'm ready."
When is Kevin Lee expected to return to the UFC octagon?
Kevin Lee is expected to fight Sean Brady at UFC 264 in a welterweight bout. The former UFC lightweight will share the card headlined by two top lightweight contenders, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The duo will feature in the main event of UFC 264 in their highly-awaited trilogy bout.
In 2020, Kevin Lee competed just once in the UFC when he lost to reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in Brazil. Lee's last victory was over Gregor Gillespie in 2019, the same year 'The Motown Phenom' also lost to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.
Upon his return on July 10th, Kevin Lee will aim to get back in the win column.
