UFC 216: Kevin Lee vows to ‘beat the f*ck’ out of ‘weird’ Tony Ferguson in Las Vegas

Kevin Lee said he was going to “elbow” his way into the title picture. And he did just that after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) opted to book “Motown Phenom” to face Tony Ferguson for the interim Lightweight title at UFC 216, which is set to go down in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 7, 2017.

It’s a fight that materialized after the two had a verbal sparring match on “UFC Tonight,” though Lee says the rivalry intensified after “El Cucuy” disrespected him during a face-to-face in “Sin City” during International Fight Week.

As a result, Lee vows to beat down Ferguson ... bad.

“I’m going to beat the fuck out of Tony,” Lee said during a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour.” “Look, we can take away all the vision, all that, I am going to beat the fuck out of Tony. The man disrespected me, I don’t take that shit. The dude is weird, he’s not that smart. I’m going to crush him in every press conference — or conference call — that we got because the man is really not that smart.”

“Motown Phenom” went on to bash Ferguson’s intellect a bit further, questioning the group he hangs out with in “The City of Angels.”

“I don’t know what his deal is. He’s been hanging out with Eddie Bravo. I listen to Joe Rogan’s podcast, too, and I know what them dudes is in to. They in to some weird old shit,” he said. “There is a reason why he keeps wearing them sunglasses. I ain’t going to put his business out there like that, I’m going to let him do his own thing. But, I’m just saying I ain’t moving to L.A., I will keep it here in Vegas where the grass is greener.”

The winner is expected to face off against current division champion Conor McGregor after “Notorious” handles his business against Floyd Mayweather this weekend. But, as far as Lee is concerned, he and Ferguson are fighting for the real 155-pound strap.

“This is for the real Lightweight championship because we have the most fights and we’ve already been through all of these top contenders. Look at Conor, he’s only beaten one guy at 155. Khabib hasn’t beaten anybody in the Top 10. So, this is for the real Lightweight championship and I think that’s what the folks wanted to see.

“You want to see it move on, new blood and new generation,” Lee continued. “UFC is on their way and they know I’m the new generation in this motherfucker and I am going to put Tony down and show the rest of them, too.”