Kevin Lee’s respect for Edson Barboza has grown even more after UFC Atlantic City.
Last Saturday night (April 21), Lee took on Barboza in the main event of UFC Atlantic City. The action took place inside the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was Lee’s third straight main event bout.
“The Motown Phenom” earned a TKO victory. For the most part, it was a dominant win for Lee. The exception was in the third round when Barboza landed a wheel kick that had Lee doing a chicken dance. Lee was able to survive and continue his dominance.
Going into the fight, there wasn’t much trash talking as both men showed respect. The same can be said post-fight. During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Lee praised Barboza’s toughness:
“He was one of the strongest dudes that I think I’ve ever faced. It’s just that, it’s a different type of explosiveness, and it’s something that I admire a little bit in him. It’s something that I was trying to sit back and watch and see how I could pick up things to steal from him, because even when he’s dead tired, he’s very, very dangerous. You’ve got to stay on your Ps and Qs. He did his thing. He showed up to fight. I gave respect to Barboza all the way through this, but I give him even more respect afterward, because that man showed up to fight.”
Kevin Lee now finds himself in the top five UFC lightweight rankings for the first time. He puts himself in prime position to face the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier. If the stars align for him, his next bout may even be another title opportunity.
How far do you think Kevin Lee can go in his UFC career?
