Kevin Lee: I’m Turning my Focus to Nate Diaz

Kevin Lee is making it clear that he wants Nate Diaz next.

Lee is coming off a dominant TKO victory over Edson Barboza. The only flaw was getting clipped with a wheel kick in the third round that had him rocked. He proved he can maintain his composure by shaking off the cobwebs and continuing his dominance in the fight.

“The Motown Phenom” now sits at the fifth spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. With the current state of the lightweight division, 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next challenger is very much up in the air. While Lee has expressed interest in a bout with “The Eagle,” he has another name in mind.

During a recent appearance on Sirius XM’s “MMA Tonight” show, Lee said that he’s eyeing a bout with Diaz:

“I’m turning my focus to Nate. I think that Nate fight is out there to be had. He’s already run away from me once. Now they’ve got Aug. 4 coming up that he’s looking to get on.”

Diaz was reported to be in talks with the UFC over a potential return. The discussion was said to have been for a UFC 227 bout on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles. Kevin Iole reached out to White, who said “nothing is going on” because Diaz has been offered fights numerous times and has always turned them down.

UFC 227 will take place inside the Staples Center. In the main event, bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw will defend his gold against Cody Garbrandt. This is a rematch from their Nov. 2017 clash at UFC 217. Dillashaw captured bantamweight gold for a second time after earning the TKO win in the second round.

Also set for UFC 227 is a middleweight clash. Derek Brunson will take on Antonio Carlos Junior. It’s a big step up for Junior as he is ranked 13th on the official UFC 185-pound rankings, while Brunson holds the seventh spot.