News GOAT: "Kevin Lee doesn't know how good he is"

MescalineDreams said:
I haven't slept on lee

Not even a little

His fight against rda only further affirmed his potential really

Just has to make a bunch of adjustments

The funny / odd thing is how 90% of Sherdog believes he's a bum, overrated and destineed to be a journeyman

People here are really blind sometimes
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I know right, Kevin Lee is legit, he lost his coach just a fight before the RDA fight. These guys are going to scurry away when Kevin gets back on the train.
 
TheLastEmperorReurns said:
Bizarre how this guy’s unwarranted hype still persists.

He has the look of an A+ Athlete like GSP did, that’s about it.

He looks great and he’s technically a decent wrestler but he has no grit and no chin.
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Maybe because he's well rounded/ basically really good in all areas and only 26 lol. Even his striking is way better than people give it credit for

He outstruck Barboza for 5 rounds. Was outstriking RDA. Even getting the better of AL during the first 3 rounds of their fight or at least fighting evenly.

His grappling is also very underrated. This is a guy who mounted a black belt tony ferguson and had him in serious trouble. Tapped out Chiesa.

He has the talent and potential. Anyone with the eyes can see it. people who can't don't understand mma as well as they think they do or are letting their bias get in the way

Skill for skill you could argue Lee is better than GSP was at his same age

What he needs are some lessons in energy management, patience. Some maturity, wisdom, a few months of meditation to get him out of his fucking head and into a flow state during his fights and a proper coach / camp. Which he has now with Firaz and gsp

All the tools are there he just needs someone who sees the bigger picture from the outside that can put it al together. Not having a head coach for his last few fights definitely did him no favors
 
ChumpyKiwi said:
I didn't watch the fight with Barboza but he finished him in the 5th round. So my question is, how did he look cardio-wise in that fight?
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If I remember right, he used Khabib's blueprint and spent the majority of the fight on the ground with top control. Cardio wasn't an issue in that one.
 
ChumpyKiwi said:
I didn't watch the fight with Barboza but he finished him in the 5th round. So my question is, how did he look cardio-wise in that fight?
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forgot about that fight, I was thinking off the top of my head the Al fight and dos anjos fight. I did watch the edson fight and member being super impressed and figured he was still in the title picture so he must have looked pretty good cardio wise that night
 
surgeyou1 said:
Really? Dude says he can beat Khabib all the time. I'm pretty sure he's not lacking in self confidence
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Down the road he very well could

The guy is 26 and stylistically could definitely pose problems to Khabib if he continues to evolve, mature as a fighter and put all those pieces together

Potential is potential, it doesn't guarantee anything but he could definitely be champ one day if he plays his cards right
 
ignorant MMA fan said:
If I remember right, he used Khabib's blueprint and spent the majority of the fight on the ground with top control. Cardio wasn't an issue in that one.
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Khabib's blueprint? Lee is a smothering top position wrestler. Barboza sucks against pressure. It was a stylistic mismatch that was going to go that way irrespective of whether or not Khabib fought him first.

Also, the way that Khabib and Lee handled Barboza on the ground was completely different. Khabib played his control game. Lee passed guard more and spent more time in dominant positions.
 
Kevin Lee has the skills and martial arts background (wrestling) to be successful if even capture gold one day. The problem is his fight IQ and can't seem to realize when he is actually having success in a fight or not. Against Iaquinta his ground game was giving Al problems in the opening rounds but he decides to stand with a much better boxer in the closing rounds. Against RDA his reach was giving RDA problems but every time he had success on the feet he would go for a td attempt when it wasn't needed. RDA is so underrated in MMA it's stupid. Everyone invoke in MMA and JJ know how good he really is. Kevin Lee has the skills but he needs cardio and a game plan and not just plan A & B
 
spannered said:
Meh, I think GSP is only saying that because he compares Lee to himself - an explosive wrestler with fast strikes. He's overlooking two huge differences; fight IQ and pacing. Lee has proven time and time again that he'll just run in for a double with little thought of a setup and muscle his opponent to the ground. He seems to approach every fight the same, and when he gets a top wrestler, he hits a massive wall and gasses like crazy.

His training probably has something to do with it, but I don't see what GSP is talking about. He's composed, only uses explosive shots when he's timed them perfectly (his take downs take 20% of the energy of Lee's because of his setups). Lee strikes me as a guy that got too much hype too quickly and won't adapt because he spent too long thinking he knows better. If you're going to fight like RDS, you better build the same conditioning as him. Their fight was a perfect example of how Lee just isn't at that level with his conditioning.
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He hasn't had a head coach bro

He's basically been doing it all himself

The skills are there but the Fight iq has definitely been lacking

With him it's more energy management. He has the cardio if he paces himself wisely, he's gone 5 hard rounds against Barboza

If Yoel fought like Lee, he'd gas too. So would woodley. There's a long list of guys who fall into that category but just learned how to pace themselves properly

With Lee, all the skill is there and that's ultimately what matters most. All that other shit is fixable. He's 26. Those adjustments aren't super difficult to make. Especially with a proper head coach who's able to see the bigger picture and put those pieces together. Which he has now in both Firaz and GSP. His head coach committing suicide definitely did his career no favors

Skill for skill I think Lee is prob better than GSP was at his age, where he lacks is in the other areas
 
Phisher said:
Khabib's blueprint? Lee is a smothering top position wrestler. Barboza sucks against pressure. It was a stylistic mismatch that was going to go that way irrespective of whether or not Khabib fought him first.

Also, the way that Khabib and Lee handled Barboza on the ground was completely different. Khabib played his control game. Lee passed guard more and spent more time in dominant positions.
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I guess Kevin should have fought him first. Then it would have been Khabib who used Kevin's blueprint.
 
Spookv said:
Kevin Lee has the skills and martial arts background (wrestling) to be successful if even capture gold one day. The problem is his fight IQ and can't seem to realize when he is actually having success in a fight or not. Against Iaquinta his ground game was giving Al problems in the opening rounds but he decides to stand with a much better boxer in the closing rounds. Against RDA his reach was giving RDA problems but every time he had success on the feet he would go for a td attempt when it wasn't needed. RDA is so underrated in MMA it's stupid. Everyone invoke in MMA and JJ know how good he really is. Kevin Lee has the skills but he needs cardio and a game plan and not just plan A & B
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He didn't decide to stand with him though. He drained all his energy Holding onto those body triangles in the 2nd and 3rd. If he tried to wrestle, likely it would've ended with him burning whatever energy he had left and getting stopped

It was a fuck up in fight iq though. He has an obsession with taking the back. Should've learned from the 2nd and not waste all that energy going for the body triangle / choke. I'd he just stayed on top, threw strikes, kept position and conserved energy.. He couldve done it for all 5 rounds

But yeah not having a head coach definitely plays a big factor in all that. Sometimes you need someone who can analyze as an outside observer, free from adrenaline and the heat of the moment. After his head coach committed suicide, I think he arrogantly thought he could do it all himself. Seems to have wisened up though. Said on JRE he travelled, hit up a ton of gyms trying to find a new home prior to going with Firaz
 
MescalineDreams said:
He didn't decide to stand with him though. He drained all his energy Holding onto those body triangles in the 2nd and 3rd. If he tried to wrestle, likely it would've ended with him burning whatever energy he had left and getting stopped

It was a fuck up in fight iq though. He has an obsession with taking the back. Should've learned from the 2nd and not waste all that energy going for the body triangle / choke. I'd he just stayed on top, threw strikes, kept position and conserved energy.. He couldve done it for all 5 rounds

But yeah not having a head coach definitely plays a big factor in all that. Sometimes you need someone who can analyze as an outside observer, free from adrenaline and the heat of the moment. After his head coach committed suicide, I think he arrogantly thought he could do it all himself. Seems to have wisened up though. Said on JRE he travelled, hit up a ton of gyms trying to find a new home prior to going with Firaz
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Firaz and George St Pierre and add a little bit of crazy in Ares Macdonald is probably the best GYM Kevin Lee could have hooked up with. He really has the skill and mindset to emulate GSP at LW, first thing that made me noticed it is when he hits a takedown. He passes guard, go for a back take or rven stay in side control or half guard to do damage. The point is he advances once he takes the fight to the ground. He really lacks IQ in when to explod or attack and when to not. I knew he was legit against his fight Trinaldo and Chiesa. Lee's really good on the mat, but his cardio needs work. His back control is a little reminiscent of Bjs.
 
MescalineDreams said:
Maybe because he's well rounded/ basically really good in all areas and only 26 lol. Even his striking is way better than people give it credit for

He outstruck Barboza for 5 rounds. Was outstriking RDA. Even getting the better of AL during the first 3 rounds of their fight or at least fighting evenly.

His grappling is also very underrated. This is a guy who mounted a black belt tony ferguson and had him in serious trouble. Tapped out Chiesa.

He has the talent and potential. Anyone with the eyes can see it. people who can't don't understand mma as well as they think they do or are letting their bias get in the way

Skill for skill you could argue Lee is better than GSP was at his same age

What he needs are some lessons in energy management, patience. Some maturity, wisdom, a few months of meditation to get him out of his fucking head and into a flow state during his fights and a proper coach / camp. Which he has now with Firaz and gsp

All the tools are there he just needs someone who sees the bigger picture from the outside that can put it al together. Not having a head coach for his last few fights definitely did him no favors
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Neither of us could possibly really know, but I feel Kevin lee doesnt have much more potential for improving markedly above what weve already seen from him.

He's young but still old enough that he probably can't just make a fundamental shift in his approach to fighting . Hes fought like Kevin lee in every fight ive ever seen him in. It's gotten him to where he is.

Kevin lee is a straight killer for sure. Dude has made it to the top of the mountain as a young man in a talent stacked division. Hes not an elite fighter tho, and I don't think he ever will be. No shame at not being the absolute best of the best. Hes a very impressive fighter, I just dont ever see him breaking out of his current identity in the division, hes something like an "elite gatekeeper" - an acid test for the top 5
 
llperez22 said:
kevin gasses. Evryone said it was due to staph vs tony but you see kevin noticeably slow down in all his recent fights. ANd the worst part is he stops having any head movement, he just gives the vibe of a fighter cruising on an empty tank.
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His tank against Edson was intense. RDA fight seemed like more of a shock to the extra weight.
 
Stump said:
Neither of us could possibly really know, but I feel Kevin lee doesnt have much more potential for improving markedly above what weve already seen from him.

He's young but still old enough that he probably can't just make a fundamental shift in his approach to fighting . Hes fought like Kevin lee in every fight ive ever seen him in. It's gotten him to where he is.

Kevin lee is a straight killer for sure. Dude has made it to the top of the mountain as a young man in a talent stacked division. Hes not an elite fighter tho, and I don't think he ever will be. No shame at not being the absolute best of the best. Hes a very impressive fighter, I just dont ever see him breaking out of his current identity in the division, hes something like an "elite gatekeeper" - an acid test for the top 5
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I think he's very much an elite fighter personally

Skill isn't the problem with Lee

Which is positive. The holes he's demonstrated are fixable, a lot harder to make massive leaps in your overall skill set

A mature Lee who manages his energy intelligently, who fights with a calm patience, that merges his arts together with fluidity and timing is a scary man.

Up until now he's only showed glimpses.

He has the skill of a young gsp but a big part of what made gsp great is he had those other elements. Though to be fair it also took George's time before he really found the formula too
 
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MescalineDreams said:
I think he's very much an elite fighter personally

Skill isn't the problem with Lee

Which is positive. The holes he's demonstrated are fixable, a lot harder to make massive leaps in your overall skill set

A mature Lee who manages his energy intelligently, who fights with a calm patience, that merges his arts together with fluidity and timing is a scary man.

Up until now he's only showed glimpses.

He has the skill of a young gsp but a big part of what made gsp great is he had those other elements. Though to be fair it also took George's time before he really found the formula too
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I actually think those qualities are harder to develop. As some have said, kevin is still a great fighter tho.
 
Put your fukkin hands on the wheel Lee, don't give a damn if its auto drive weenie ass Tesla, put the fukkin hands on the wheel.
 
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