UFC 'Not Interested At All' In Lee
Yesterday at 07:00 PM
Sorry, "Motown Phenom," you're not wanted.
Over the past year, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee has been trying to get back to his old promotion after a disastrous final fight in which he was demolished in less than a minute (watch highlights).
After his loss, Lee retired, but just like every other mixed martial arts (MMA) retirement, six months later, he was back. However, he wasn't back in the UFC because "Motown Phenom" was released following his retirement.
To his credit, Lee tried every which way to get back to UFC, even asking to fight on Contender Series for a measly $5,000, but he got no answer.
Today (Tues., Jan. 7, 2024), Lee revealed that his former promotion isn't interested.
"I really want to compete. For me, money isn't necessarily the biggest issue; I said I'd take that fight for $5k on Contender Series against the best Contender they got," Lee told Ariel Helwani. "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 something like that. When I talk with Ali [Abdelaziz], and he tells me anything about the UFC, he says they're not interested at all."
"Why that is? I couldn't tell you. I've been in some of the biggest fights in UFC history. I finished off their Fox deal going into the ESPN deal, and I'm a pretty easy guy to work with," Lee concluded. "I feel like I'm professional, I do what I need to do, and I don't rub too many people the wrong way. Why they didn't want me to go on Contender Series to prove I'm still one of the best 155ers out there, I don't know, but I'll make sure this next time, there is no doubt."
With UFC out of the picture for now, Lee is currently signed with Global Fight League (GFL), which is rumored to have its first event in April 2025. For his first fight, Lee might try to exact revenge on a former rival ... Tony Ferguson, who tapped him out in 2016 at UFC 216 (watch highlights).
