Tag: Kevin Lee

‘Why His Sparring Partner Trying To Kill Him?’ – Fans React As Video Emerges Of Kevin Lee Getting Brutally Dropped In Training

Former UFC lightweight Kevin Lee’s preparation for his return to action this year recently took a painful turn in the form of a full-power right hand from a sparring partner. Lee, who unsuccessfully challenged for interim gold in the UFC back in 2017, has struggled in recent years. He’s won just two fights since 2019, […]

Former UFC lightweight Kevin Lee’s preparation for his return to action this year recently took a painful turn in the form of a full-power right hand from a sparring partner.

Lee, who unsuccessfully challenged for interim gold in the UFC back in 2017, has struggled in recent years. He’s won just two fights since 2019, both of which came away from the Octagon.

After defeating Diego Sanchez in Eagle FC following his first UFC release, “The Motown Phenom” was choked unconscious in under a minute by Rinat Fakhretdinov in his return to MMA’s biggest stage. While he bounced back with a regional victory last September, Lee’s pleas for another UFC comeback fell on deaf ears.

As a result, Lee has sought a different opportunity, and that landed him in the inaugural Global Fight League draft last month. The 32-year-old was picked by New York City, joining Sidney Outlaw as the team’s two lightweights.

With that, “The Motown Phenom” is putting the work in at Kill Cliff FC in Florida ahead of his new venture. But it would seem that not everything has been going to plan for the veteran fighter on the mats.

Footage emerged this week showing Lee suffer a bad knockdown in training. After throwing a flying knee, the ex-UFC fighter’s sparring partner landed a full-strength right hand that briefly put the Michigan native down.

Overseeing the session was former UFC champion Robbie Lawler, who sported a concerned face as he helped an unsteady Lee back to his feet.

The video was recorded and posted to Instagram by undefeated Azerbaijani fighter Maggeram Gasanzade.

It’s believed the punch was thrown by Mirali Huseynov, another Azerbaijani athlete who has a 9-3 record as a professional. His last two wins have come under the banner of Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat. Huseynov appeared in the comments section of a repost to request the video be taken down.

The clip drew plenty of reactions online, with the community surprisingly split on who was to blame. While many slammed Huseynov for throwing at full capacity, others criticized Lee for the flying knee attempt.

Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

The Global Fight League, or GFL, have announced a huge amount of names who will be eligible for the promotion’s upcoming draft this month. GFL is set to host its first event around April where the team-based season format will kick off once fighters have been selected by their chosen teams. Many of the names […]

The Global Fight League, or GFL, have announced a huge amount of names who will be eligible for the promotion’s upcoming draft this month. GFL is set to host its first event around April where the team-based season format will kick off once fighters have been selected by their chosen teams.

Many of the names on the current roster, particularly on the men’s side, are former UFC fighters who will add a certain amount of name value to the promotion from the very start. Amongst them is former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee who recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to go into more detail about the promotion and his initial impressions of working with them.

Lee spoke during the interview about other names that could be joining him in the promotion who could be potential opponents for him at some stage. He specifically mentioned a former opponent of his who has been on a difficult run inside the Octagon as of late.

One of the criticisms of the GFL thus far has been the amount of fighters on the roster who are perceived to be over the hill or in some cases, already at the end of their careers. That would also be the narrative surrounding Tony Ferguson whose name still carries a degree of weight despite the fact that he has lost his last eight fights in a row which is a record for the MMA leader.

It appeared following his last defeat against Michael Chiesa that “El Cucuy” had one foot in retirement after he took off one of his gloves inside the cage before he later confirmed that he isn’t done yet. During his losing streak, Dana White has repeatedly made it clear that he hopes Ferguson retires with his 41st birthday being just around the corner.

However, according to what Lee has heard, it looks like Ferguson could be beginning a new chapter rather than closing the book for good.

“I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around, the one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson,” Lee told Helwani. “He’s had his ups and downs in his career but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship and I think that’s something that a lot of people can get behind and that’s a fight that I really, really want. He’s in talks with them.”

UFC Shuts Door on Former Interim Lightweight Title Challenger: ‘They’re Not Interested at All’

UFC Shuts Door on Former Interim Lightweight Title ChallengerThe UFC is officially out of the Kevin Lee business. Once upon a time, the ‘Motown Phenom’ was one…

UFC Shuts Door on Former Interim Lightweight Title Challenger

The UFC is officially out of the Kevin Lee business.

Once upon a time, the ‘Motown Phenom’ was one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC’s loaded lightweight division. However, an interim title loss against Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 put him on course for a lackluster 2-5 run that ultimately led to his outright release in November 2021.

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After bagging a win over Diego Sanchez under the Eagle FC banner, Lee was given another shot by Dana White and Co, making his return to the promotion in July 2023 for a scrap with Rinat Fakhretdinov. 55 seconds into the scrap, Fakhretdinov caught Lee with a guillotine choke.

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Lee retired from MMA shortly after, but during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, revealed that he had been desperately trying to re-sign with the UFC, even offering to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series for a paltry 5k payout.

Unfortunately, the UFC wasn’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 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.”

Kevin Lee finds new MMA life in the GFL Following the UFC’s latest rejection

Luckily for Lee, there are other options out there. In December, it was announced that the Michigan native had signed with the Global Fight League, a promotion that has been gobbling up talent in preparation for its inaugural event rumored to go down in April.

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No announcements have been made regarding Lee, or anyone else’s first appearance with the promotion, but if Lee gets his wish, he’ll get to exact some revenge on the fighter that crushed his momentum eight years ago.

Car-Jitsu: Inside the Wildest Combat Sport in the World

The designers of the 2006 Toyota Scion probably envisioned many possible uses for the car, from family road trips to morning commutes to drives to the grocery…

The designers of the 2006 Toyota Scion probably envisioned many possible uses for the car, from family road trips to morning commutes to drives to the grocery…

Ex-UFC star Kevin Lee books fighting return at Lights Out Championship against Thiago Oliveira

Ex-UFC star Kevin Lee books fighting return at Lights Out Championship against Thiago OliveiraFormer interim UFC lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee is set for his retirement-snapping return to mixed martial arts just…

Ex-UFC star Kevin Lee books fighting return at Lights Out Championship against Thiago Oliveira

Former interim UFC lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee is set for his retirement-snapping return to mixed martial arts just later this month — taking on Thiago Oliveira at a Lights Out Championship event on September 28. from Wayne, Michigan.

Lee, a former top-contender at the lightweight limit during his tenure with the UFC, called time on his mixed martial arts career following a dominant opening round guillotine choke submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov back in July of last year at the UFC Apex facility.

Kevin Lee unsure on permanent retirement from UFC it's about getting the surgery
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

And linked with a return to combat sports in the time since amid voicing his interest in fighting again, Grand Rapids native, Lee has now been booked to feature at a Lights Out Championship event later this month in a showdown against the above-mentioned Oliveira — returning to the welterweight limit.

Kevin Lee books return as UFC alum snaps year-long hiatus from MMA

News of Kevin Lee’s return to mixed martial arts against the previously mentioned, Thiago Oliveira was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Kevin Lee too busy moaning to win in UFC return should've focused more
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Without a win since a brief cameo with Eagle FC back in 2022, Lee had turned in a unanimous decision win over fellow UFC alum and former title challenger, Diego Sanchez in a once-off super lightweight clash at 165lbs.

As for Brazilian opponent, Oliveira, the 30-fight professional veteran has been sidelined since he snapped a lengthy losing run earlier this year in a draw against Adam Assenza at BTC 24.

During his tenure in the UFC, Kevin Lee competed for an interim lightweight crown in a main event fight against Tony Ferguson back in 2017, suffering third round triangle choke submission loss to the Oxnard veteran in his sole pay-per-view headliner with the Dana White-led organization.

Kevin Lee confirms retirement from MMA following UFC Vegas 76 loss
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Over the course of his storied career, Lee, 32, has beaten the likes of Michel Prazeres, Efrain Escudero, Jake Matthews, Magomed Mustafaev, Francisco Trinaldo, Michael Chiesa, Edson Barboza, and Gregor Gillespie to name a few.

Kevin Lee Questions Andrew Tate’s Credentials: ‘How Did He Convince People He’s a World Champion?’

Kevin Lee Andrew TateFormer top-ranked UFC fighter has called out Andrew Tate for having a paper title when it comes to combat…

Kevin Lee Andrew Tate

Former top-ranked UFC fighter has called out Andrew Tate for having a paper title when it comes to combat sports. Andrew Tate, known for being an internet influencer and having a stint on reality TV, once had a brief career in kickboxing.

Kevin Lee questions Andrew Tate’s Kickboxing

“The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee was a standout collegiate wrestler before transitioning to MMA. In the UFC he had solid wins against opponents such as Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa, and Francisco Trinaldo. He also had wars in the competitive lightweight division against the likes of Tony Ferguson, Rafael dos Anjos, and Charles Oliveira. But Lee might be best known for his stunning head-kick knockout against Gregor Gillespie.

On X, formerly Twitter, the athlete called out Andrew Tate:

“How tf did Andrew Tate convince people that he’s a world champion??”

Andrew Tate just had his home raided in Romania involving charges of human trafficking and rape, involving minors. He is awaiting trial.

Andrew Tate Kickboxing Career

Tate is best known for being on Big Brother and being an internet personality as his kickboxing career was unremarkable. Andrew Tate competed in full-contact style kickboxing which is a modified version of kickboxing that allows for fewer kicks. No major organizations use full-contact kickboxing rules, K-1, GLORY, RISE, and ONE Championship have never used the full-contact rules and it is not popular. Additionally, full-contact style kickboxing is not competitive or deep. It has close to no competitors.

Tate held titles in full-contact style kickboxing, again this is not standard kickboxing, under ISKA and Enfusion. Enfusion is a builder organization that helps funnel regional talent into the bigger leagues, such as GLORY. K-1, GLORY, ONE, and RISE are all considered major kickboxing titles, ISKA and Enfusion are not top-line championships.

Andrew Tate

Any notable kickboxer throughout history including Ernesto Hoost, Badr Hari, Buakaw Banchamek, Alex Pereira, Alistair Overeem, Peter Aerts, and others, did not compete in full-contact style kickboxing. They also competed in major organizations such as K-1 or GLORY, not Enfusion or ISKA. In summary, Kevin Lee has a point.

Below is K-1 kickboxing with standard rules, this is NOT a full-contact match.