Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC
The “Motown Phenom” will go under the knife on Thursday.
Kevin Lee’s last fight against Charles Oliveira ended in disappointing fashion. And after recent developments, it may take a while before the “Motown Phenom” can get himself back on the winning track.
Speaking with ESPN on Tuesday, Lee revealed he will be having surgery on his torn left ACL this Thursday in Las Vegas. Doctors informed him about possibly sitting out for the next six months, but the 27-year-old fighter is hoping to return sooner.
“It used to mean being out a year. They’ve gotten better with the technology and the [physical therapy], so it might even be sooner,” Lee said. “I don’t know.”
When he previously spoke to Luke Thomas a few weeks ago, Lee also revealed not being able to immediately get an MRI scan because of the pandemic. He did, however, refuse to divulge the specifics of how his injury happened.
“Honestly, not even doing anything that was totally out of the ordinary. I mean, I’m not going to say specifically how it happened because of insurance, you know,” he said. “But, it wasn’t something totally out of the ordinary.
“I think I may have been affected by this whole virus and sh-t more than I think. For some reason, I’ve been overly fatigued and my body isn’t feeling great. I zigged when I should have zagged and heard a pop pretty loud. Since then I’m unable to move it much.”
After the loss to Oliveira at UFC Brasilia in March, Lee was considering taking a hiatus of a “few years.” Now that he is actually forced to the sidelines, he is welcoming the chance of getting to take a breather from competition.
“I didn’t mean it like this, but the world works in mysterious ways. At this point, it is what it is,” he said. “I kind of wanted the break anyway. Now it’s seriously forcing me to take it.”
Lee is currently on a 2-4 run, which includes an unsuccessful try at welterweight against Rafael dos Anjos last May.