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The UFC has officially announced Kevin Lee's return to the company with a bout against Rinat Fakhretdinov.
After signing with the UFC last year, Rinat Fakhretdinov is currently 2-0 in the company with an overall record of 20-1. The highly touted welterweight is undefeated in his last 19 fights. 'Gladiator' was last seen in action against Bryan Battle at UFC Fight Night 216 in December last year and won the bout via unanimous decision.
On the flip side, in February it was revealed that Kevin Lee has agreed to return to the UFC after just one fight outside of the company. Following his loss to Daniel Rodriguez in 2021, Lee was released from the UFC and went on to fight Diego Sanchez under the Eagle FC promotion in March 2022.
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Now, Kevin Lee will return to the octagon against Rinat Fakhretdinov on July 1 at the UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov. Apart from the highly anticipated return of 'The Motown Phenom', there are several exciting fights on the card as well.
Take a look at the full fight card announced as of yet below:
Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
Melissa Gatto vs. Ariane Lipski
Khusein Askhabov vs. Joanderson Brito
Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Brunno Ferreira
Luana Carolina vs. Ivana Petrovic
Grant Dawson vs. Damir Ismagulov
Vinc Pichel vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Rinat Fakhretdinov record: 'Gladiator' wants to enter the top 15 of the welterweight division
Riding a 19-fight win streak overall and 2-0 in the UFC, the Russian has big ambitions for his time in the company. Following his win over Bryan Battle, 'Gladiator' revealed his intentions of wanting to enter the top 15 rankings of the welterweight division.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Rinat Fakhretdinov stated that he wanted to remove the "gatekeepers from top 15" and said (2:58):
"It's now time of new fighters, new heroes. It's time to remove the old fighters, the gatekeepers from top 15 and with my hands here, that's what I would do. I will clean it up and I will make sure to get there."
Further during the press conference, Fakhretdinov was asked to reveal his goals for 2023. To which he replied by saying (4:45):
"To get into top 15."
Watch the full post-fight press-conference below:
