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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 […]

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 Challenger The UFC is officially out of the Kevin Lee business. Once upon a time, the ‘Motown Phenom’ was one…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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…

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.

"The Motown Phenom" is back!

Kevin Lee has his first fight booked since his #UFC exit

News via @mma_kings: https://t.co/WUQ5biTfH3 pic.twitter.com/z5ry86djFS

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) September 18, 2024

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?’

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

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.

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

— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) August 20, 2024

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.

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.

Kevin Lee provides update on MMA return amid injury layoff: ‘I’m still fighting’

Former interim UFC lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee maintains that he is “still fighting” in mixed martial arts competition…

Former interim UFC lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee maintains that he is “still fighting” in mixed martial arts competition amid his latest injury layoff, dispelling a retirement from combat sports at just 31 years of age.

Lee, a former interim lightweight title challenger in the UFC, made his return to the Octagon back in July of last year at the Apex facility, following a prior one-fight stint in the Khabib Nurmagomedov-backed Eagle FC.

Suffering a devastating 55-second technical submission loss via guillotine choke, Lee was dropped early on the feet by Rinat Fakhretdinov, before he was stopped, sending him for his third loss in four most recent outings.

In his last win, Lee suffered another knee injury setback in a super lightweight matchup against former UFC star, Diego Sanchez, earning a unanimous decision win over The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner.

Kevin Lee maintains he is still planning on fighting

And following his loss to the higly-touted Fakhretdinov, Lee confirmed his retirement from combat sports, however, on social media this week – claiming he is still planning to fight in the future, as he recovers from the latest injury setback which required another trip under the knife.

Kevin Lee eyes rematch fight with Tony Ferguson after snapping retirement UFC return

“There’s some false narratives going around that people think I’m retired,” Kevin Lee said on his official Instagram account. “You never seen me lay my gloves down in the cage. You never seen me take my gloves off. Don’t believe everything you heard on the internet.”

Kevin Lee confirms via his Instagram post he is still fighting and he’s only 31 years old pic.twitter.com/GPZyYUxwuv

— Kevin (@realkevink) August 7, 2024

“I’m 31,” Kevin Lee explained. “I just had surgery less than a year ago, I’ve been sitting out from the surgery. But read my lips, I’m still fighting.”

Competing for an interim lightweight title at UFC 216, Lee headlined against Tony Ferguson, dropping a third round triangle choke submission loss to the Oxnard veteran.

Do you think Kevin Lee can make good on a UFC return?