Kevin Lee (20-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) began his journey in the sport’s top promotion by way of an appearance during the undercard of UFC 169 on Feb. 1, 2014, dropping a unanimous decision after 15 minutes to “Raging” Al Iaquinta (14-7-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) inside Prudential Center on the eve of Super Bowl XLVIII. Since that night, his eighth professional appearance in the sport, he’s had some ups and downs.
Numerically speaking, Kevin Lee’s longest winning streak in MMA was a five-fight stint between April 16, 2016 and June 25, 2017 before coming out on the losing end of a third-round submission by way of triangle choke against “El Cucuy” Tony Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) during the UFC 216 main event for the promotion’s interim lightweight championship.
Lee would never again make a bid for championship gold in the UFC and would make what amounted to be a 10-minute retirement from MMA after his July 1, 2023 contest at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, NV. A fight in September of last year versus Thiago Oliveira (17-13-1 MMA), himself a UFC alumnus, in Lights Out Championship 17 from Wayne, MI, resulted in a first-round submission due to a rear-naked choke.
Kevin Lee’s Attempt at UFC Comeback Thwarted Late Last Summer
Ahead of Lee’s bout in Lights Out Championship, he tried to win his way back in the promotion by appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in the summer of 2024. He was eager about making the walk to the Octagon at the Apex facility, something that he mentioned during an episode of Anik and Florian.
“My real love is MMA,” Kevin Lee began. “I want to compete again, and just to show how serious I am, I even told [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby that I’m willing to go on Dana White’s Contender Series to show how serious I am about competing at a high level. This next fight will not be about money or anything else, but to show that I can compete and my body can hold up against the tension I’m putting it under.”
Kevin Lee says that he’s willing to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series to get back in the UFC again pic.twitter.com/yw5c4hqAYf
— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) September 11, 2024
This attempt at a UFC comeback by Kevin Lee would never come to fruition, but now, he’s searching for a fresh start in MMA’s newest organization. Last month, Lee was named among the initial signings by the Global Fight League (GFL) ahead of its Jan. 25 selection meeting.
Kevin Lee Makes Appearance on Ariel Helwani Show To Discuss His Fighting Future
On Tuesday, Lee was a guest of The Ariel Helwani Show. During the segment, he talked about why his request to appear on Contender Series last year was denied.
“I really want to compete,” he said. “For me, money isn’t necessarily the biggest issue. I said I’d take that fight for [$5,000] on Contender Series and I’ll fight the best contender that they feel [they’ve] got out there. They weren’t interested in that. Why? I don’t know. I didn’t have much conversation with the UFC besides Sean Shelby and he said he wasn’t really interested in doing something like that.”
Also during the interview, Kevin Lee talked about the hunger to fight that still exists inside him.
“I really want to show the next level a bit and kind of evolve into my skills,” he mentioned. “I think I’m one of the most talented guys out there, and now it’s time for my mind and body to really connect and really show through in the fights. There’s nothing like fighting.”
While he’s currently working a side job as a cook in a food truck, Kevin Lee never really retired from active competition in MMA.
“You never saw me lay my gloves down in a cage,” he continued, “you never really saw me out speaking like that. I’m nowhere close to being retired. I’m hearing a lot of people say ‘Okay, this is the old person’s league’ and stuff like that. I’m 32 years old, so this is the prime of my career. I’m not stupid. I know I’ve got three years left of competing at the highest level. Now is the time, now it’s go time. I’m not taking [any] time off and I’m making sure that I’m doing everything right so that I can really compete to my highest level.”
Draft Day is All That Matters For Kevin Lee
Although 300 MMA fighters are signed to the GFL, just 120 competitors will find themselves drafted among the six teams on Jan. 25 during the meeting. With draft day looming, Kevin Lee took time to praise the GFL.
“They’re coming up with a lot of new ideas, right?”, he said. “You do see this in other promotions. They want to stand out from the UFC. One thing that I do like about them is that they’re really trying to make this on par with a professional sport, which, if we go beyond the UFC, this is MMA that we’re talking about. I do think that [there are] more levels that MMA can hit, and I think that this is something that’s putting us on the right path. For me, as an athlete, when I’m looking at it, I’m looking at the contracts.”
As is the case with all fighters currently signed to the GFL, should Kevin Lee find himself undrafted, he’ll be able to pursue free agency after the selection meeting.
