Keith Lee just burst onto the MMA scene with a solid performance at Bellator 239

Keith Lee won his debut convincingly at Bellator 239, following in the footsteps of his UFC brother Kevin Lee who cornered him.

Being the brother of UFC star Kevin Lee can’t be easy. It’s even harder when you follow your sibling into the same sport but that’s what Keith Lee is opting to do with Bellator. The younger Lee sibling is just 23-years-old and was able to defeat Shawn Bunch via unanimous decision in a pretty one-sided affair at Bellator 239.

The younger Lee brother is smaller than his UFC-brother. Not nearly as muscular but maybe a bit quicker. He utilized that quickness all fight, using it to pounce on Bunch all fight, and forced the action throughout all three rounds. He also showed some good takedown defense at points, showing a physicality that is eerily familiar to the elder Lee sibling.

Keith is coming off of a regional run that saw him go 5-3 over his first eight fights throughout the run. He fought primarily out of TKO Major League MMA, before moving on and taking fights throughout the United States.

Keith enters Bellator at a time where the bantamweight championship is up for grabs. With the promotion’s record of giving young guys opportunities for titles, it’s not out of the possibility that Keith could be given some high profile bantamweight fights in order to see if he’s up for a title opportunity. He’s certainly skilled, and if a tournament is set up to crown a new bantamweight champion, maybe Lee can earn his way into that with a few more convincing wins.

Keith will need to prove he’s more than just a name in order to do that. His win over Bunch was very convincing, and if he can muster a few more of those throughout the year then maybe people will see he and his brother Kevin more like the Nogueira or Freire brothers; as two equally good fighters.

Bellator 239 took place on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, live from the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, OK. Follow along with FanSided MMA all your live results and highlights.