UFC lightweight Kevin Lee is rising the ranks and making some noise at 155lbs

IF you’re looking to describe UFC lightweight Kevin Lee with one word you’ll do well to find a more appropriate word than ‘moxie’, because ‘The MoTown Phenom’ has that by the bucketload.

The rising UFC lightweight prospect produced arguably the best display of his UFC career on Saturday night to dominate the very dangerous Magomed Mustafaev before eventually putting him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.

Getty Images

Confident prospect: Kevin ‘MoTown Phenom’ Lee is one to watch[/caption]

And the outspoken American, who earlier in the week said Eddie Alvarez had “embarrassed the whole division” with his performance against Conor McGregor, had plenty to say after his fight, too.

The ‘MoTown Phenom’ delivered an F-bomb-laden post-fight interview, adding that if he faced McGregor he’d “put McGregor’s ass on his back right now”.

And he continued his straight-talking backstage when he spoke to reporters after his bout in Belfast, where he said he’d wished he knew that the two-weight UFC champ was in attendance at the SSE Arena.

“I would have jumped the cage – damn,” he said.

“All Irish guys look alike. I wish I would have known. Somebody could have told me. They’re all just red beards and bald heads to me.”

Getty Images

Locking up the choke: Lee puts on the squeeze as he puts Magomed Mustafaev to sleep in Belfast[/caption]

Lee’s powerful wrestling game and willingness to speak his mind marks him out as one to watch as we round off 2016 and head into 2017.

The UFC’s lightweight division is incredibly strong, with arguably the greatest strength in depth of any weight class in the UFC today.

Getty Images

Lee respectfully sits in his corner to allow Mustafaev to receive medical attention before celebrating his impressive win[/caption]

It means those young prospects looking to fight their way to the top have to negotiate a shark tank of elite-level operators in order to make it to a top-ranked position.

I think that Lee has the chops, both technically and verbally, to make a real splash in the UFC over the coming 12 months and with that win over Mustafaev he’s shown that he’s got the ability to not just outwrestle opponents, but finish them, too.

Getty Images

Rising up the ranks: Kevin Lee[/caption]

At just 24 years of age, and with seven wins from his nine UFC outings so far, the future’s looking bright for Kevin Lee.

With words to say on seemingly all the top contenders, including McGregor, Alvarez and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Lee seems more than happy to pick a fight with anyone he can at the top of the lightweight division.

And if he continues to put on performances like the one he delivered at the weekend, it won’t be long before he gets his wish.

Watch this space.