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+).
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
"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."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kevin Lee pokes at Team Khabib before PFL debut vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
33 minutes ago
- Forbes
UFC Atlanta Fight Card Odds And Predictions: Namajunas Vs. Maverick
An important women's flyweight scrap serves as the co-main event of Saturday's UFC Atlanta fight card. In that matchup, former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas looks to bounce back from a November loss to Erin Blanchfield while stopping the climb of Miranda Maverick. Maverick enters Saturday's UFC Fight Night event on a four-fight winning streak. UFC Atlanta takes place on Saturday, June 14, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. In the main event, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman faces the rising Joaquin Buckley. The main card airs on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET, following ESPN+ streaming prelims at 7:00 p.m. ET. Rose Namajunas (13-7) was 2-1 and had under two years of professional MMA experience when she fought Carla Esparza for the UFC women's strawweight title on the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 20. Esparza won that December 2014 bout by submission, claiming the inaugural 115-pound title. Over the next few years, Namajunas was essentially learning on the job, and she learned well, running up a record of 4-1 between October 2015 and April 2017. In November 2017, Namajunas stepped into the Octagon to face then-UFC strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The champ was a -700 favorite on fight night, while the challenger checked in at +500. Namajunas stunned the MMA world that night, scoring an upset first-round knockout win to become the champ. Proving her victory was not a fluke, Namajunas defeated Jedrzejczyk by decision in their rematch in April 2018. Namajunas lost the title in her second attempted defense when Jessica Andrade scored a slam knockout win at UFC 237. A non-title fight victory over Andrade, who dropped the belt in August 2019 to Zhang Weili, followed. That win earned Namajunas another shot at the title. In April 2021, Namajunas regained the belt with a perfectly timed head kick to stop Weili in the first round. She defeated the former champ by decision in their rematch in November 2021. Namajunas surrendered the title to Esparza in May 2022 in a tepid performance. Since losing the title, Namajunas is 2-2 at 125 pounds, losing a decision to Manon Fiorot in September 2023, defeating Amanda Ribas by decision in March 2024 and beating Tracy Cortez by decision in July 2024. In her most recent outing, Namajunas dropped a decision to Erin Blanchfield in November. Namajunas is the No. 7 ranked UFC women's flyweight fighter. Miranda Maverick (15-5) joined the UFC in 2020 after spending most of her time with Invicta FC. At the time, she was 7-2 and coming off a 'Performance of the Night' bonus-winning decision win over Pearl Gonzalez. Maverick opened her UFC career with two wins. The promotion then matched her against another young fighter, Maycee Barber. Barber was on a two-fight losing skid at the time. She ended that run of defeats with a split-decision win over Maverick. Things did not get any easier for Maverick in her next matchup, as the UFC booked her opposite Erin Blanchfield, who was 1-0 in the UFC, but riding a four-fight winning streak. Blanchfield kept that winning streak intact with a unanimous decision win over Maverick. Since those back-to-back setbacks, Maverick has gone 6-1 with her only loss being a June 2023 decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius. She is 4-0 in her most recent bouts, and coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth in December. Maverick is ranked 11th in the UFC's 125-pound division. When BetOnline first listed the betting odds for this matchup, Namajunas was a -205 favorite over the +155 Maverick. Today, Namajunas is -241, while Maverick checks in as the +206 betting underdog. Age: 32 Height: 5' 5' Reach: 65' Stance: Orthodox Age: 27 Height: 5'3' Reach: 65' Stance: Southpaw Despite her 2-2 record in her past four fights, there are questions about Namajunas' heading into UFC Atlanta. Most of those questions revolve around her confidence, mindset, and ability to defeat top-level 125-pound competition at this stage of her career. The good thing for Namajunas is that this contest appears to be designed to give her a win. Namajunas has good footwork and takedown defense. With that, the former champ should be able to thwart Maverick's takedown attempts. Maverick has strong wrestling and ground control, but if she cannot get the fight to the mat, she struggles on her feet. Namajunas has the skills to keep this fight standing. One worry is that Namajunas has become accustomed to fighting at the pace a five-round fight requires. A slow start in this three-round scrap could hurt her. The betting pick is for Namajunas to beat Maverick via decision. We will have more on the UFC Atlanta fight card as fight night nears, and fight night results and reactions on Saturday.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Malcolm Wellmaker: UFC went to ends of earth for opponent – and found zombie in Kris Moutinho
Malcolm Wellmaker: UFC went to ends of earth for opponent – and found zombie in Kris Moutinho UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby had to travel to the ends of the Earth to find Malcolm Wellmaker an opponent, and seemingly the only man willing to step up might be part zombie. Given that he might have otherwise been robbed of a home state fight at UFC on ESPN 69, Wellmaker (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) already has a tremendous amount of respect for Kris Moutinho (14-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) not even having stepped inside the cage with him yet. "I already knew what kind of guy he was based off the knowledge I had about him," Wellmaker recently told MMA Junkie. "But for him to take a fight with me on 11 days' notice, obviously seeing what I did in my last fight, I can only respect him and be glad that he was willing to fight me." The road back to the UFC for Moutinho has been one years in the making. Typecasted in MMA as a walking chin for his memorable bout vs. Sean O'Malley in July 2021, during which he absorbed 320 significant strikes, Moutinho is eager to shake the label. Wellmaker gained respect for Moutinho for taking the fight, but there was already a high baseline given the heart he saw years ago during O'Malley's beatdown. "I watched him fight Sean O'Malley live," Wellmaker said. "I remember thinking, 'Oh my goodness, he's got a chin on him.' It was an exciting fight, and I actually somewhat became a fan of him. I remember watching him afterward eating the ice cream sandwich seeming like a humble guy. Yeah, it was a name I was 100 percent familiar with when I got the call." The fight turned Moutinho into a viral sensation, and he still carries a large social media following with him. But for those in attendance at State Farm Arena on Saturday, their energy and attention will solely be focused on Wellmaker. Born, raised, and living in Augusta, Ga., the fight Saturday is a dream-come-true homecoming. "To be honest, I'm surprised they went to the lengths they did," Wellmaker said. "As difficult as the matchmaking process was, especially with how late in the game we got down to, for them to cash in on the Kris Moutinho call, I think it says a lot. I think the thing that I've believed in myself the whole time is that I can put on a show, and I can make us all a lot of money, have some fun, and be exciting. I think that they're willing to invest in me. It's good. I like to think that I'm in good standing with those guys right now." "That's kind of what I heard. Obviously, it was a short turnaround from Kansas City. What I assume and from what I was told, not too many people were excited to try to take that matchup with the amount of time to prepare that was available. So as time went on, I started getting more and more skeptical about the likelihood of a matchup happening. But my manager told me, 'Look, Sean (Shelby) said he's going to make it happen and I believe in him.' He did." "To be honest, it's a super bonus for me," Wellmaker added. "Back when they came to Atlanta last time, I wasn't even involved in the sport enough to know who was even going to be fighting on the card. I didn't go. I was so new to the sport. So when I found out they were coming to Atlanta, that wasn't something that was really even on my mind. So for me to be able to get such a quick turnaround in a place so close to home that I've been many times on the regional scene with so many family members and supporters being able to come out, it's perfect – and the matchup is as exciting as it gets. Everything is just a dream come true with this card." While it was a quick camp having just won his UFC debut by knockout April 26, Wellmaker enters the bout having prepared as a full-time fighter for the first time in his career. Following his bonus-earning win over Cameron Saaiman, Wellmaker quit his job as a pipe-fitter. He's excited for the world to see what he's capable of – even if Moutinho presents as zombie-like as possible. "Just to be completely honest with you, I'm fairly comfortable that I'm going to knock him out," Wellmaker said. "If he goes zombie mode on me, I'm fine with that. Obviously, the pressure makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I've had tough fights in my past. I've fought zombie-style guys before. Even if I've got to strangle them out, I'll do that. Whatever it takes to win that fight and get it done within the distance, it's always my goal. I don't want to coast. I don't want to ride it to a decision. Like I said, I'm going to hit him with my best shot and we'll see how many times he can take it."
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LAFC close to loan deal: Dutch winger set to turn out at Club World Cup
Javairo Dilrosun could be in action at the Club World Cup. According to VoetbalPrimeur, the latest rumours suggest Los Angeles FC have signed the Dutch forward on loan from Club America. 'Dilrosun is the first – and possibly only – signing during the special transfer window for one of the three MLS clubs participating in the World Cup,' GiveMeSport claim, with Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami keeping quiet. Advertisement 'Dilrosun will bolster Los Angeles FC's attack for the Club World Cup behind star player Denis Bouanga.' Details about the potential transfer of Dilrosun, who is under contract in Mexico until the summer of 2026, were not shared. LAFC are in a group with Chelsea, Flamengo and Espérance Sportive de Tunis at the Club World Cup. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is among the players under contract with the American team. Dilrosun was part of the youth academies of Ajax and Manchester City and eventually ended up at Hertha BSC in his career. Via Girondins de Bordeaux he moved to Feyenoord in 2022. The Rotterdammers sold Dilrosun to Club America at the beginning of 2024. In 2018, Dilrosun played one international match for the Dutch national team in the Nations League. GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
