For UFC lightweight Kevin Lee, this weekend isn't just an opportunity to headline his first event.
He's also hoping it's a No. 1 contender fight -- for a division that doesn't yet exist.
Lee (15-2) will look to improve on a stellar 8-2 UFC record when he meets Michael Chiesa (14-2) at UFC Fight Night at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
On Monday, five days prior to the weigh-in, Lee revealed that he weighed 180 pounds, meaning he still needed to lose 24 pounds. Lee said he had no concerns about making weight, but talked about how pointless it is to do so.
He estimated that Chiesa weighed about 180 pounds as well. So if they are the same size already, why cut all the weight?
"I guarantee he's sitting at 180 pounds, too," Lee said. "Why are we fighting at 155? The whole way the weight classes are structured is stupid. Hard-core fans don't give a damn what weight we fight at. I'll take the fight right now at 180 pounds. I have no problem with it. As long as two men weigh the same, they should fight."
Extreme weight cutting is one of the most controversial subjects in mixed martial arts.
At the highest level, athletes cut a large amount of weight in an attempt to be the bigger man on the night of the fight. Essentially everyone does it, though, which means the advantages gained are often not significant, and regulators have struggled to find ways to curb what's become a dangerous practice.
"Guys in my weight class have been watching me for a very long time. Conor [McGregor] has been watching me. Nate [Diaz] has been watching me. They're praying on my downfall. They know I'm coming and that I've been coming for a long time." Kevin Lee
Earlier this year, the state of California passed a 10-point plan regarding weight cutting -- which included the addition of 165- and 175-pound weight classes.
Two of the UFC's deepest divisions are 155 and 170 pounds. Lee believes it's only a matter of time before the organization alters its weight classes to include 155, 165 and 175. And he's calling dibs on 165.
"I think this fight is even bigger than people realize," Lee said. "There shouldn't be a holdup on the 165-pound division. I think after July, they're going to open it up, and when they do, they've got to make a vacant title. After this [Chiesa fight], I think me and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] sounds good for the 165-pound title."
Lee, who is originally from Detroit but who now lives and trains out of Las Vegas, is in the process of graduating from "prospect" to "contender" at age 24. He has finished each of his last three fights, and he gained some notoriety in May when he punched Chiesa during a UFC press conference in Dallas.
That on-stage scuffle added an easy hook to sell the fight, but this matchup shouldn't need one. Lee is on the rise, as is Chiesa, who has won five of six.
"Guys in my weight class have been watching me for a very long time," Lee said. "Conor [McGregor] has been watching me. Nate [Diaz] has been watching me. They're praying for my downfall. They know I'm coming and that I've been coming for a long time."
The UFC has not released its pay-per-view schedule for late 2017, but according to Lee, the promotion is heading to his native Detroit in December. Lee plans on a heck of a homecoming -- and a 165-pound title shot.
"Detroit is behind me, absolutely," Lee said. "That's why the UFC is coming there in December. They understand that and know that I'm the only one from there that's in the UFC, currently."