FIGHT TIME

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Sunday, June 25th

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6:00 PM PST

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9:00 PM EST

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Oklahoma City

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Kevin 'The MoTown Phenom Lee:

..is the brash and outspoken lightweight making his first main event debut. His combination of tight kickboxing skills with seamless takedowns makes him an absolute threat everywhere the fight goes. Besides a single blemish on his record to Leonardo Santos, his wins and losses all accumulate to an amazing fighter in progress. His entry into the UFC was met with hard fights, including a war with now lightweight star Al Iaquinta.

Lee has never had a problem with technique or his ability to take a shot, it has sometimes been his impatience in fights and wanting to finish a man that he has hurt. Lee is a still a very young man and in his athletic prime, he has made mistakes in fights even in victory, but his evolution progresses each time he steps on the mat.

Lee stopped Francisco Trinaldo in his last bout, a man on a 7 fight win streak (with that list including now welterweight contender Yancy Mederios). A head kick to back take with a rear naked choke finish is how that fight played out...Kevin Lee stepped into Trinaldo's backyard, rocked the 'Masaranduba' like no one had before, and finished him by choke. Lee is a superstar in the making, he just needs to keep connecting all the pieces to create a perfect fighter out of himself

Michael 'The Maverick' Chiesa:

...is the B-side to this main event feature; Chiesa was always intended to be a star but his run of injuries and distance between fights has kept his exposure to a minimum. Do not be fooled by this man's build or appearance, he is the real deal in terms of grappling and submission skill. His long frame works as an awesome post for body lock takedowns, and he is surprisingly strong for his more thinned out ectomorphic frame.

Chiesa comes from a great camp (Skijitsu) with the likes of Julianna Pena, and an all-star wrestling coaching team. Maverick's wins over Jim Miller and Beniel Dariush showed he could not only finish, but SUBMIT two black belts after outclassing them in every grappling exchange. Chiesa is a dog on the feet, and he will turn a fight into an ugly brawl because his cardio is very fleshed out: he can last for hours trading blows and transitioning on the ground. Chiesa is smart about injury and has taken more than enough rest between his last fight and this one, expect to see the best version of this contender come Fight Night

Breakdown and Prediction:

Both of these men have two common opponents, Al Iaquinta and Francisco Trinaldo...oddly enough, Kevin Lee fought a better version of each of these men as well. In regards to styles, Michael Chiesa takes this checkmark. He has the better gas tank for a five round fight, he great anti wrestling defense along with superb offensive jiu-jitsu. Kevin Lee has struggled with gas tank issues in the past, and I would say both these men are about even in how often they get hit.

Both men have very good chins although Maverick will have a better shot at surviving and winning this bout if it makes it into the third and fourth rounds. I see Kevin Lee winning the exchanges early and often, in terms of well roundedness, Kevin Lee is the all around better fighter. Lee is a powerful take down artist and has an impeccable top game, both of these men are very good at taking the back as well, and in so will be good at defending the rear naked choke. This will come down to the intangibles of heart and will (as always) since both of these men truly clash.

Chiesa didn't look so remarkable in the early round of his Dariush fight, and he seemed somewhat stagnant against Mitch Clarke. Lee also has been finished by a single blow in the past, and that arouses questions on his chin. We have seen that Lee has real power in his hands whereas Chiesa is a nonstop force of volume and stinging attacks. I see this one playing out as somewhat of a shock, I think Lee can get the job done, and finish Chiesa on the ground with strikes as nobody has before.

Prediction: Kevin Lee by TKO Round 1