Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Kevin Lee Prediction: Kevin Lee has only one theoretical chance for victory

Prediction for the UFC on ESPN 48 (UFC Vegas 76) Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Kevin Lee match which will take place on July 2nd. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available. 

Rinat Fakhretdinov is the first and only Tatar in the UFC, a very entertaining fighter in and out of the cage. Rinat is especially good at wrestling. He presses opponents both in the guard and on his feet. Kevin Lee is the most challenging opponent in his entire career.

Fakhretdinov has only one defeat he suffered long ago in his second professional fight. Since then, he has only been winning, mostly ahead of schedule, was the champion of the Russian GFC league, and so far, he has had only two fights in UFC, confidently won both, not from the greatest fighters.

Kevin Lee is a big star of the league who, despite his young age, is already rapidly going down. He once fought with Tony Ferguson for the temporary title and with Charles Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos, but now he is an underdog in a fight with a little-known Russian.

The period from 2018 to 2021 became a nightmare for Lee. He lost four out of five fights, fought with the league management, and was fired by email, which had never happened to anyone before.

Last year, he still got into a fight. Khabib invited him to perform at Eagle FC and won by the decision from 41-year-old Diego Sanchez.

Kevin Lee has only one theoretical chance for victory – to miraculously transfer the fight to the guard so that he is on top and then try to control. Firstly, Fakhretdinov, who is very strong and has a fantastic reaction, will have a great chance to beat an opponent with one blow. Secondly, even if Kevin manages to take a position from above, Rinat will quickly fix everything with the help of physical strength and excellent skills. In addition, this positional struggle cannot last long. Lee will get exhausted, and the only question is how fast.

We are sure that Rinat will dominate, but there are considerable doubts about whether he can win ahead of schedule. Fakhretdinov did it quickly in local leagues, but nothing was close to that in the UFC. Rinat was perfect in two previous fights, but he didn't look for the finish because there were few opportunities for this.