UFC lightweight Kevin Lee is determined to get to the top of the 155-pound ladder by any means necessary.

The Michigan native has put his fighting career front and center since signing with the UFC back in 2013, and the "Motown Phenom" is absolutely in it for the long haul. Lee isn't worried about jumping the line in the stacked lightweight ranks or relying on luck to get anything done. Instead the 24-year-old Xtreme Couture product is focused on knocking off his peers one step at a time, because the journey will provide him with all the tools he'll need to make a championship run when it's time to go for gold.

Lee has notched three consecutive victories and he'll take that momentum into his next showing against Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza, Brazil on March 11.

The Brazilian powerhouse has been on fire for the past three years as he's picked up seven straight wins over a collection of tough competition. Lee knows he'll be facing a stacked deck by stepping in with a Brazilian fighter on their home turf, but he's more than ready to send a message to the UFC brass. The Las Vegas transplant is determined to prove he's one of the most talented fighters in the talent-rich lightweight fold, and plans to get his 2017 campaign off to an impressive start by putting Trinaldo away on March 11.