Kevin Lee is willing to take drastic measures to return to the UFC.
Lee (19-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) re-signed with the UFC in 2023, but wound up retiring after a quick submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov. It took him only six months to walk back his decision, and “The Motown Phenom” hopes he can still call the octagon his home.
So much that he even offered to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series – a show for prospects to get an opportunity at a UFC contract.
“My real love is MMA. I want to compete again,” Lee said on the “Anik & Florian” podcast. “And just to show how serious I am, I even told Sean Shelby that I’m willing to go on Dana White’s Contender Series to show how serious I am about competing at a high level. This next fight will be not about money or anything else, but to show that I can compete and my body can hold up against the tension I’m putting it under.”
An appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series would mean a significant downgrade in pay for 32-year-old Lee, who’s a former UFC interim lightweight title challenger who’s headlined five shows for the promotion.
But his offer was turned down.
“He said no, but I was willing to do it,” Lee said. “It’s $5,000 flat – that’s all you get. For $5,000 bucks, we’re losing money. But I’m still willing to do it.”
Lee has lost three of his past five fights, but holds notable UFC wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa and Gregor Gillespie.
