Kevin Lee could face rival Tony Ferguson at UFC 290

Kevin Lee could be about to face a familiar rival in his second voyage in the UFC Octagon.

In a recent interview, Lee said that it appears as though Ferguson will be his first challenge for his second stint in the UFC.

Lee returned to the UFC earlier this year after signing an exclusive multi-fight contract. Before leaving the promotion, he won his final contest against UFC veteran Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46.

In his final UFC contest against Daniel Rodriguez in August 2021, Lee was defeated by a unanimous decision. He lost four of his previous five fights, including contests against Charles Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos, before leaving the promotion.

At UFC 216 in 2017, Lee and Ferguson squared off for the interim lightweight championship of the UFC.

Ferguson struggled with him in the first two rounds before submitting him in Round 3 with a triangle choke. If Lee's claims are accurate, he will get the opportunity to exact revenge on Ferguson, who has lost five consecutive matches. At UFC 279, he most recently suffered a guillotine choke loss against Nate Diaz.

At UFC 279, Ferguson was scheduled to compete against Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout but Khamzat Chimaev's disastrous weight-cut attempt forced the UFC's hand. Ferguson's most recent victory came at UFC 238 over Donald Cerrone.

He is open to the possibility of competing at welterweight but hasn't ruled out a return to lightweight.