Following his 1st round KO of Gregor Gillepsie at UFC 244, Kevin Lee is set to return to the Octagon against rising Brazilian star Charles Oliviera. Lee vs Oliviera is expected to headline UFC 170 Brasilia on March 14th from Nilson Nelson gymnasium in Brasilia.
There was strong speculation that Kevin Lee could clash with rising Lightweight star Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is a good friend and teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Lee had called out Makhachev for a fight on social media and both seemed interested to fight in April at UFC 249 where Nurmagomedov takes on Tony Ferguson. However, the UFC has opted to take a different route at the moment.
Prior to his thunderous knockout at UFC 244, Lee was struggling to find his rhythm in the octagon. His two previous bouts ended in losses came to former Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and a 5 round thriller to Al Iaquinta.
Midway through 2019, Kevin Lee knew he needed a change. He embarked on a 7-day trip to relocate his camp. His last trip was at the Tri-Star gym in Montreal. Lee admitted after the passing of his former coach Robert Follis, he struggled to find someone to guide him. Once he spoke to Firas Zahabi he knew that Tri-Star would be the right fit for him.
Charles Oliviera is one of the hottest rising lightweights in the lightweight division. He is riding a 6 win fight streak in the UFC. The 13th ranked Oliviera holds the record for most wins by submission wins in the UFC with 13. His most recent victory came against Jared Gordon at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré.
The co-main event of the night will feature a fight between two high-level Brazilian grapplers in Demian Maia and Gilbert Burns. Rising light-heavyweight star Johnny Walker will look to rebound from his UFC 244 loss to Corey Anderson as he faces Nikita Krylov on the card as well.