Athletes
Kevin Lee: Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself
“The Motown Phenom” Is Back In The UFC And Aiming To Remind People Or Introduce Himself As A Renewed Version Of Himself At UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov
From 2014 to 2020, Kevin Lee was right in the mix. He was a budding contender with tons of promise who even found himself competing for the interim UFC lightweight championship.
But things took a swift turn for “The Motown Phenom,” starting with his chance at UFC gold against Tony Ferguson. Lee lost five of seven bouts, including two fights up at welterweight. Soon after, Lee was released from the UFC roster.
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Lee took some time to work on himself and identify the issues that led to his difficulties toward the end of his UFC stint. That’s when he called the UFC and found himself back in the promotion.
And with plenty to prove.
“I think people respect the growth. I think people respect the comeback,” Lee told UFC.com. “I think people respect you clawing and building your way back from the bottom. I got a long mountain to climb, and the first step is going to come on Saturday and people are going to respect it when they see it.”
This weekend, Lee makes his return against Rinat Fakhretdinov, who comes into UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov on a 16-fight win streak and fresh off a win over Bryan Battle.
For someone like Lee, who some forecasted as a future champion turned bust, it’s a dangerous comeback fight. Fakhretdinov isn’t yet well known by fight fans, and losing to someone without a ton of credibility could be a dagger in the comeback before it really even gets started.
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“It’s an incredible amount of pressure,” Lee said. “It’s a big amount of pressure, but I like it. It’s going to make me rise to the occasion.”
“The opponent is much tougher, but he doesn’t have a big name. There is not much of an upside to it…except the upside is I get to prove who I really am and what I really stand for and that I’m willing to put my life on the line, even when the odds are totally stacked against me. If I lose this fight, then people are going to write me off even more and I’m very aware of that. I’m out there to do my job.”
One overlooked fact is that Lee is just 30 years old. That feels crazy to read, considering fight fans saw Lee all the way back in 2014. Lee believes he can use the experience gained in his first UFC stint and his time away from the Octagon to deliver a whole new fighter this time around.
The first step for Lee to level up was to find clarity and peace within himself. He figured out what he truly wanted out of life, and that process made him identify how he could step into the Octagon at his best this weekend.
“It feels good to be back,” Lee said. “It feels like I never left almost, but I’m in a new body, a new mind, new everything. I’m excited to show what I’ve been working on these last few years. I’m excited to show the progress that I’ve made.
“It’s going to be fighting in front of a whole new set of eyeballs, so I feel like I’m making my debut all over again, at 30 years old, in the prime of my life. I feel like this is the perfect time for me to re-show people who I am. If you forgot, then I’m going to remind you. If you didn’t know, welcome to the show.”
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 1, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
