Kevin Lee hopes all of Team Khabib gets to witness him beat Gadzhi Rabadanov in PFL debut

USA Today

a day ago

Kevin Lee hopes all of Team Khabib gets to witness him beat Gadzhi Rabadanov in PFL debut
Kevin Lee has all the motivation he needs to make weight and pull off an upset in his short-notice debut against Gadzhi Rabadanov at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6.
Former interim UFC lightweight challenger Lee (20-8) was signed to PFL in May to step into the lightweight tournament semifinal against 2024 champion Rabadanov (25-4-1) on June 20 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. (ESPN, ESPN+).
Although he only got the assignment on roughly one months' notice, and will have to cut to the lightweight limit for the first time since May 2020, Lee said this opportunity comes at the perfect time, and it's one he feels fully prepared to take advantage of.
"Even going back to the UFC my whole goal has been to prove I'm still one of the top lightweights in the world, that I'm still one of the top fighters," Lee told MMA Junkie Radio. "I got this opportunity now. This guy is tough. The best fighters aren't always in the UFC. We've seen it with Bellator. We've seen it with other PFL champions. We saw it back in the day with WEC, with Strikeforce. All over the board. There's good fighters all over the world, and this guy is one of them. He's on a hell of a win-streak, he won PFL's last tournament at lightweight in 2024.
"It's my chance to go out there and shut him down and prove that I'm still one of the best guys, because he does train at the team where they hold all the lightweight titles right now. To take one of them away from them is going to feel pretty good."
The team Lee is referring to is that of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, which also houses former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and current PFL Champion Series lightweight titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov.
Lee has always wanted to compete against athletes from the Dagestan-based gym, and strongly believes his American wrestling style is a strong counter to the high-level grappling that team offers. He never got the chance to prove it during his UFC tenure against Nurmagomedov or Makhachev, but intends to now, and he hopes those names are in the corner of his opponent to see it.
"I hope the whole team is there to watch," Lee said. ""I'm in shape for the fight. The weight cut is going great. I'm more disciplined now than I was in the past. Me not having to cut the weight for five years, that was the last time I fought at lightweight, that's honestly gave my body a little bit of a break, and my mental a little bit of a break. ... When I step onto the scale and even into the cage, he's going to be real surprised how big and lean I am."
Since he parted ways with UFC in mid-2023 following a brief second stint, Lee has struggled to find a consistent new home. He was part of the upstart GFL brand, which quickly fizzled before its inaugural show, among others.
PFL is a proven organization at this point, though, and as Lee looks ahead to his future, he looks to be a prominent part of the company.
"Right now I'm with PFL, and after this one, I think I'll probably be their marquee guy and continue to get bigger and bigger," Lee said. "For now I'm with PFL and that's where I'm at. We never know with the future, where the biggest challenges are going to come from."