Kevin Lee‘s return to the UFC after serving a stint at ‘Eagle FC’ might just be one of many interesting stories of 2023. The 30-year-old Lightweight, once a top contender in the division now led by Islam Makhachev, makes his comeback into a landscape that has drastically changed after his release from the promotion. Nonetheless, ‘The Motown Phenom’ still could find himself amongst the top contenders. That would be if he could pull off a couple of important wins. Speaking of top contenders, Lee too had a few things to say about the upcoming battle between the two P4P kings at UFC 284.

While talking to ESPN MMA, the former contender discussed Makhachev‘s fight with Alexander Volkanovski and claimed that the Australian could be quite an uphill task for the current lightweight king.

Kevin Lee thinks that the Australian will be a tough challenge for Islam Makhachev

The 30-year-old, while pointing out the importance of the bout; pointed out that fans were finally realizing the significance of the main event after an initial slow start.

“So, first I hope that the numbers go huge, you know. I think people are just now starting to realize like ‘oh this is a pound-for-pound type of fight’. It’s a big fight. Especially for this moment and in the actual fight itself,” stated Lee.

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He then went on to describe the featherweight champ’s heart and how it could pose difficulties for Makhachev: “I think that Volkanovski is a ‘live dog’. I think he can pose some real serious threats. I think he can really challenge Islam in ways that he ain’t necessarily been challenged before.”

Kevin Lee was quite accurate in pointing out Volkanovski‘s toughness. The Australian’s grit was put to the test during his fight against Brian Ortega when he survived a guillotine attempt by ‘T-City’ which in hindsight would have put another lesser fighter to sleep.

Lee speaks on Volkanovski’s toughness and warns Makhachev for not taking him seriously

Makhachev heads into UFC 284 as a heavy favorite over the Australian champion. Although coming off a dominant performance against Max Holloway, some MMA experts seem to have written off Volkanovski owing to the size difference. Lee, on the other hand, believes this to be the exact reason why the Dagestani would find it hard to beat the number one P4P.

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“I think when you when you’re going against a smaller guy like that it’s harder to track them down you know, it’s harder to pin them, so if it gets out of that first two rounds, I see Volkanovski starting to rack up some points and you know he’s extremely experienced, especially in a five-round fight.” Claimed the Michigan-born fighter. 

Reiterating the fact that the Australian’s toughness was something out of the ordinary, he pointed out his fights against Holloway. “He’s had Max Holloway throw a thousand goddamn punches at him. And he never really went away, he never backed off. So I think it’ll be a tough fight I don’t know.. he’s a live dog.”

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The former contender, however, declined from giving a straight pick.“I’m not gonna say who wins or loses, but Islam better be taking him very serious.”

Ultimately, Lee‘s statement on the fight seems to reflect what a majority of MMA fans feel. Although Islam Makhachev might be a favorite heading into the fight; there’s no denying that he has never faced someone of Volkanovski‘s caliber.

Who do you think would come out on top? Let us know in the comments below.