Former interim lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee has confirmed his decision to retire from mixed martial arts competition, after suffering a 55-second submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC Vegas 76 at the beginning of this month.
Lee, a former interim lightweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, had been sidelined from the Octagon since departing the organization off the back of consecutive losses to former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, and Daniel Rodriguez back in 2021.
Briefly returning to the winner’s enclosure under the banner of Eagle FC last year, Missouri native, Lee secured a close, unanimous decision win over former UFC lightweight title challenger, Diego Sanchez at the super lightweight limit of 165 pounds.
And returning to the Octagon for his second tenure with the UFC at the beginning of this month, Lee returned to the welterweight limit against the aforenoted, Fakhretdinov.
Dropping a stunning opening minute technical submission loss, Lee was dropped with a massive straight punch from Fakhretdinov, before he was caught in a guillotine choke after attempting a recovery takedown.
Kevin Lee confirms his decision to retire from MMA competition
Choked unconscious inside just 55-seconds of the opening frame, Lee, who had yet to comment on his defeat, has since broken his silence post-fight, confirming his decision to retire from mixed martial arts on his official Threads account.
“I’m going to retire from the UFC but I can’t find the right words to use in the video,” Kevin Lee posted on Threads. “There’s more to life than fighting.” (H/T MMA Mania)
During his first tenure under the banner of UFC, Lee would secure notable triumphs over the likes of Michel Prazeres, Efrain Escudero, Jake Matthews, Magomed Mustafaev, Francisco Trinaldo, Michael Chiesa, Edson Barboza, and Gregor Gillespie to name a few.