Kevin Lee says his offense is one step above Michael Chiesa's defense.
Sunday night's UFC Fight Night: Oklahoma City card ended in controversy. Michael Chiesa lost to Kevin Lee in the main event via submission, when Chiesa was in a rear naked choke and the fight was stopped by referee Mario Yamasaki. It seemed Yamasaki ended the fight because Chiesa's arms relaxed but Chiesa claims he was not unconscious. In a post-fight interview, Lee explained how he saw the end of the fight.
"I'm a monster on the back, you can tell. My last couple fights have all ended the same way. Once I get on these guys backs, they don't know what to do. I thought (Chiesa), being the back specialist he was, would have better defense. I make sure my offense is one step above their defense. Watching the replay, he went limp, you can see him fighting the hands and as soon as I went palm-to-palm he went limp. Mario (Yamasaki) stopped it and then he woke back up," said Lee.
Lee also said if the fight was not stopped he would have held the choke until the end of the round. In an interview, Chiesa said he was waiting for Lee's arms to tire and felt like he was not in danger. Even though Chiesa wants a rematch, Lee said he is looking to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"I want Khabib (Nurmagomedov). It's Khabib in December, baby. I've been calling for it since March. I've gave the man nine months to prepare, we're getting it in," said Lee.
Nurmagomedov has not fought since UFC 205 last November. He was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson but was pulled due to weight cutting issues. Fightful MMA provided live coverage for UFC Fight Night: Oklahoma City and a recapping podcast.
The rest of the interview can be found on UFC's YouTube channel.
