UFC Fight Night 112: Kevin Lee slams Michael Chiesa for ‘not wanting to fight,’ calls out Khabib Nurmagomedov

Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa got into a brief scuffle (see it) during a Summer Kickoff Press Conference in Dallas, Texas, last month that saw “The Motown Phenom” clip “Maverick” right in the mouth before they were separated. And though the confrontation only lasted a few seconds — and was even described as a “cheap shot” — it was a very valuable time for Lee because it showed him the Chiesa doesn’t really want to throw hands with him.

“I move on to the next one as soon as it’s done,” Lee said during a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour.” “As soon as they kicked me off the stage and into the back room, I was done with it, I was over it. It is what it is, it’s done and I’m on to bigger and better. I’m done talking about that because that wasn’t even a fight.

“The man showed me he don’t want to fight,” he continued. “He showed me he don’t want to fight when he pulled up security in front of us. Ain’t no security going to bound me, I’m out here to get it and I’m out here to take you’re head off with it.”

Chiesa could clearly be heard telling security to get in front of them before things got out of hand; however, it was perhaps just his way to de-escalate the situation before it got out of control. According to Lee, both men didn’t face disciplinary action from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which means their scheduled upcoming fight at UFC Fight Night 112 this weekend (Sun., June 25, 2017) inside Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., is still a go.

Should he prove victorious, Lee already has his eyes set on his next opponent, calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov for a December showdown.

“That’s the fight to make. I shouldn’t even have to march. They should’ve made that fight for this one, but the man don’t want to fight,” said Lee. “He’s trying to hold on to that little imaginary ‘0’ that he has. It don’t make sense, but, the man don’t want to fight.”

Nurmagomedov has been on the mend after a bad weight cut bounced him for his scheduled interim title fight against Tony Ferguson earlier this year. Prior to that, however, numerous injuries grounded “The Eagle” from competing regularly.

“He don’t fight at all, he hasn’t fought in over a year,” Lee said. “By the time we get it done in December, and it’s going to be almost two years since the man has fought. And that was a two year layoff for whatever he’s had.

“So, the man has shown that he don’t want to fight,” he continued. “I give him nine months notice to show up in December. That’s on top of me taking a fight this Sunday and still show up in December. So, if he don’t show up then I’ll fight Tony Ferguson.”

Confident.

To see the latest UFC Fight Night 112 fight card click here.