Kevin Lee Enters Uncharted Territory as he Loses Two Fights in a Row for the First Time in His Career… Rafael Dos Anjos Was Simply Too Wily for the Younger Man…
There was a time when Kevin Lee was backing himself to be the man who could beat lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagamedov. Like the Russian, he put a brutal beating on Edson Barboza that was out of this world. This came after a loss to Tony Ferguson, but it seemed like he had things back on track.
Now it looks like Lee is a much better athlete than he is a fighter. Three losses in four fights, with two of those in a row, shows his lack of fighter IQ. He was outworked by Al Iaquinta last December and now he’s been submitted by Rafael Dos Anjos after he basically gassed himself out.
Check out the finish below as the Brazilian former lightweight champion locked in an arm-triangle to win the fight. It’s not happy viewing for ‘The Motown Phenom’ who just lost his welterweight debut.
😵 😵 😵 #UFCRochester pic.twitter.com/ErDCp2phkN
— UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2019
Hard Pace
Lee pushed a ridiculous pace in the early rounds of this fight, and that’s definitely what caused him to lose. He actually dropped RDA in the first round but the Brazilian survived. He spent a lot of time trying to work the takedown, while never quite managing to sink it in. However, it looked like he had won the first round.
RDA came back stronger in the second. The two men swapped head kicks and RDA jumped a guillotine sweeping Lee to the floor. He also took down the Detroit native, putting the pressure on Lee. It was a much better round for the 155lb king.
4️⃣ takedowns already!@RdosAnjosMMA is putting in work! #UFCRochester pic.twitter.com/CVjoHzPcUt
— UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2019
Defeat
The final two rounds were all about RDA’s wily efficiency. Lee took him down in the third but ended up giving up his back. He broke free but got taken down by Dos Anjos again. RDA also found success with his knees, driving them up into Lee’s guts and gassing him out.
In the fourth, Lee went after RDA’s legs with kicks. The Brazilian responded with punches. Lee managed to get a takedown, but his opponent was quick to get back to his feet. Then he went for another one and it was ridiculously sloppy. RDA ended up in top position. He landed some ground-and-pound and sunk in an arm triangle. That’s all she wrote.
BACK IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE! #UFCRochester pic.twitter.com/BYROGCJTyc
— UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2019
Gutted
Lee couldn’t believe what had happened. In a statement on Instagram, he apologized to fans and explained what was going through his head after suffering such a disappointment. He said:
“Don’t know what happened out there tonight. I thought I did everything right leading up to this fight. Tried to eliminate every little distraction, everything that wasn’t good for me. I swear I felt like something, everything was falling into place, was talking to me even before I got out there, and it still wasn’t enough. This (expletive) sometimes be like the highest highs and lowest lows. It should really make you question what you believe in. I don’t know. I’ve been through a lot of (expletive) in my life. This ain’t really gonna be (expletive).”
