Michael Johnson doesn’t agree with Kevin Lee getting an interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title shot.
On Oct. 7, Lee will take on Tony Ferguson inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winner will be awarded the interim 155-pound gold. Many are expecting the main champion Conor McGregor to face Nate Diaz or Khabib Nurmagomedov at the end-of-the-year card.
During a recent Q&A session, Johnson said he believes it’s too early to give Lee a title opportunity (via MMA Weekly):
“Kevin, he definitely surprised a lot of people. He’s been on his winning streak, but I don’t think he deserves an interim title shot yet. I think he needs to fight somebody else in the top ten and see how good he really is.”
“The Menace” said Lee’s ability to trash talk is what got him the title shot.
“That’s exactly what it was with Kevin Lee. He had the great press conference and he came in and did what he had to do against Michael Chiesa. He spoke himself. The fans want to see him. Everybody wants to see him. Regardless of if they want to see him or lose, people are going to tune in to watch that fight and that’s why has has that fight.”
