Two former top lightweights will meet in a key welterweight clash in New York.
Rafael dos Anjos and Kevin Lee are set to fight in the 170-pound main event of UFC Rochester on May 18, officials told the Democrat & Chronicle. This will be Lee’s first welterweight appearance in the Octagon.
For dos Anjos (28-11), this will mark the Brazilian’s sixth consecutive fight at welterweight after a lengthy lightweight run that saw him capture a UFC championship at 155 pounds. He is 3-2 at 170 pounds, having dropped back-to-back five-round unanimous decisions to Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. The latter bout was for an interim welterweight title.
Lee (17-4) has competed for an interim UFC lightweight title, losing to Tony Ferguson via submission at UFC 216 in October 2017. “The Motown Phenom” has had difficulties making the cut to 155 pounds in the past, recently missing weight last April ahead of a bout with Edson Barboza. In his most recent outing, Lee lost a five-round unanimous decision to Al Iaquinta.
UFC Rochester is scheduled to take place at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., with the main card airing on the ESPN+ streaming service.
