Kevin Lee Wants to Fight Khabib Nurmagomedov If Star Ends UFC Retirement

Kevin Lee said Wednesday that he believes former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will come out of retirement, and he is hopeful it will be for a fight against him.

During an appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN, Lee said it was his "job" to become a big enough star to the point that Khabib will want to come out of retirement to face him (Starts at the 9:50 mark):

Lee is on the shelf after he underwent surgery in August to repair a torn ACL on his right knee, which came just three months after surgery on his left knee for the same injury.

After beating Justin Gaethje by second-round technical submission at UFC 254 in October, Khabib announced his retirement from fighting with a perfect career record of 29-0.

At the time, Khabib said it was his mother's wish for him to retire, and he also cited not wanting to fight any longer following the death of his father and trainer, Abdulmanap, in July.

In the world of combat sports, retirements are often fleeting, which is why there remains some expectation that Khabib will eventually fight again.

As recently as last week, UFC President Dana White said he intended to speak with Khabib about coming out of retirement to go for 30-0, and he also expressed his belief that Khabib will do so at some point.

Lee agreed, telling Helwani that he thinks Nurmagomedov will come back for "one or two more" fights in the future.

If Lee is going to put himself in position to be one of his opponents, he will likely need to go on an impressive run once he returns from injury.

Lee boasts a solid 18-6 record, but he has lost three of his past four fights and four of his past six. That includes a third-round submission defeat at the hands of Charles Oliveira in his most recent fight at UFC Fight Night in March.

Additionally, Lee has suffered losses at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos, Al Iaquinta and Tony Ferguson amid his struggles the past few years.

Lee is only 11th in the UFC lightweight rankings, putting him well below the likes of Ferguson, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and others who stand out as more sensible opponents for Khabib.

Unless Lee truly turns things around and gets himself inside the top five, it is difficult to envision Khabib viewing Lee as a big enough opponent.