John McCarthy believes Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez is a mismatch, but he does see one way that Sanchez could win.
Lee (18-7) and Sanchez (30-13) are expected to square off in an Eagle FC event on March 11, which will mark both men’s first fight since parting ways with the UFC.
McCarthy’s concern mainly lies with the fact that Lee is still only 29, whereas Sanchez turns 40 on Friday and has suffered quite a bit of damage in his recent losses. Sanchez’s departure from the UFC was sparked by his former manager, Joshua Fabia, requesting his medical records, which prompted the UFC to pull Sanchez from a May 8 fight against Donald Cerrone due to concerns over his health.
“Diego’s been just a warrior, he’s an incredible guy, I love him, but here comes the speed,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “Speed creates problems and in the standup, Diego has an unusual style. It will give Kevin some problems, but if Kevin gets on a rhythm on him, it’s gonna be tough for Diego. Diego, it’s gonna be very tough for him to get Kevin down, and if he’s on the ground with Kevin, he’s gonna be great. It’s when he’s on the feet with him absorbing damage, that’s not gonna be good, and it’s the speed factor that makes the big difference here.”
He continued, “Diego’s done a ton in the sport of MMA, and he’s had some great times. He’s had some hard times. I just don’t wanna see him going out with him being the guy – it was kind of that way with his last fights in the UFC. They were trying to use his name to get other guys over. You know, get that victory against the guy who is the legend of the sport, the guy that’s been there forever, the guy who won ‘The Ultimate Fighter 1.’ And I don’t know, I don’t think it’s a good fight.”
Lee has endured a rough patch himself having lost four of his past five fights, but he’s looked fairly competitive in most of those losses. But the one wrinkle that has continued to fail him is his cardio, and McCarthy thinks if Sanchez can weather an early storm, perhaps he can get him to the ground and go to the area where he does his best work.
“I’ll watch it. I’m not saying I won’t,” McCarthy said. “I just don’t think that the matchup at this point in their careers is a fair matchup. I think Diego’s gotta get the fight down. If he gets the fight down, he can definitely win the fight. Other than that, he’s gonna have a hard time.”
John McCarthy says Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez isn’t fair: ‘I don’t think it’s a good fight’
