Former UFC Interim Lightweight contender Kevin Lee makes a surprising and early return to the UFC after being cut in 2021 and fighting once in the Eagle FC promotion. Lee is back to face Rinat Fakhretdinov, who debuted in the UFC last year and is currently 2-0 in the promotion. The Welterweight clash between Kevin Lee and Rinat Fakhretdinov is the last fight on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 48 this weekend at the Apex in Las Vegas.
MMA: UFC Welterweight
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Where to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Date: 2.07.2023. 01.00
Kevin Lee
"The Motown Phenom" debuted in the UFC in 2014 with a loss to Al Iaquinta. In a bid to get better at his craft, the American fighter moved to Las Vegas from his Michigan base. He went 9-1 with four and five consecutive wins in between a loss to qualify for a joust for the interim lightweight title. Although he started strongly against Tony Ferguson, Lee ultimately failed to become interim Champ after losing to a third-round submission in 2017 at UFC 216. He seemed to lose his way after that and moved up to Welterweight without much success either. A 2020 loss to Charles Oliveira, where he tore his knee, saw him spiral down into prescription drug abuse and ultimately being sanctioned by the authorities. He was cut from the UFC after a loss to Daniel Rodriguez in 2021. However, Lee seemed to have put his acts together with a swift move to Eagle FC. He beat Diego Sanchez in March 2022 in a Super Lightweight debut in Eagle FC 46 to earn a slightly controversial recall to the UFC.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 30
- Height: 5' 9"
- Reach: 77"
- Record: 19-7
Rinat Fakhretdinov
Rinat Fakhretdinov's last defeat was in 2014. The Russian made his UFC debut with a win over Greek Andreas Michailidis in June 2022. Last December, "Gladiator" added another win to make it 19 straight victories with a unanimous decision over Bryan Battle. Fakhretdinov is a 31-year-old grappler with a wealth of experience. He also competes in wrestling alongside MMA. Despite being a newcomer against Michailidis, he was the betting favorite in that fight, as he was also against Battle.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 31
- Height: 6' 0"
- Reach: 74"
- Record: 20-2
Betting Odds
Unsurprisingly, Rinat Fakhretdinov is the favorite with the bookmakers going into this bout. The Russian is priced at 1.47 to win on Bet365. On the same bookmaker, his opponent is a 2.75 odds underdog. Over 2.5 round is priced at 1.7 odds on Coinplay, with the under at 2.08 odds. On 1XBET, a bet that round three will start is available at 1.57 odds. Betting against the start of the third- round is priced at 2.33.
