Having made the move to Montreal’s TriStar, Kevin Lee is looking forward to a “fun fight” with Gregor Gilespie at UFC 244.
New York, NY— Kevin Lee and Gregor Gillespie faced off for the first time Thursday, and it did not disappoint.
Both fighters took turns eyeing each other up and down with an intensity that was felt throughout the room at UFC 244’s media day.
Lee offered his assessment of the encounter shortly afterward.
“I think he’s been very confident in training and he’s undefeated so of course he’s confident as well,” Lee explained, as the UFC 244 media day was wrapping up. “But when he looked me in my eyes he’s going to know I don’t give a f*ck about none of that. He didn’t want to face that at first. He tried to give me it back at the end and that’s what made it fun for me so maybe he is game. So it’s going to be a fun fight.”
Following the one-time move to welterweight where the 27-year-old suffered a fourth-round submission (arm-triangle choke) defeat in his bout with Rafael dos Anjos, Lee opted to fully commit to the esteemed Tristar gym in Montreal under the guidance of head coach Firas Zahabi.
“It’s kind of been a perfect match for my style,” said the Detroit, Michigan native. “I can’t see the future or how the fight is going to go but I feel like I’m a much better fighter and it’s going to be good for my career. I’m already balls to the wall and go for it so now I’ll have the technique to match that and go in.”
“I feel like I was relying on myself too much in the past. Michael Jordan has a head coach. Floyd Mayweather has a head coach. And it was time for me to make the move,” Lee added.
Tristar is the home of former UFC star Georges St-Pierre, and quickly became arguably one of the best training camps. Lee revealed he’s taken a great deal of advice from the former two-division champion in preparation for Gillespie.
“A lot, he’s been a big part of the camp. Even if he says just one or two things when a guy like that speaks, he’s got the eyes and the experience so I definitely listen for sure. It did kind of did surprise me how cerebral they approach the game and how technical their game is. It’s kind of been a perfect match for my style,” Lee continued.
Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie takes place Saturday, November 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fight kicks off the pay-per-view portion of the event.
