UFC Veteran Kevin Lee Announces Intent to End Retirement

Mixed martial arts veteran Kevin Lee misses the sport and is officially coming out of retirement.

Lee took to social media on Wednesday to announce that he’ll be returning to competition, likely at a lower weight class with no specific timeline in mind.

“I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. [I don’t know] when, where or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now,” Lee wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter.)

“The Motown Phenom” retired in July of last year after being submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov in under a minute. The fight marked his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after being released from the promotion in 2021. It remains unclear if Lee will still be under UFC contract when he returns to action.

Lee went 9-2 to start his UFC tenure before dropping an interim lightweight fight against Tony Ferguson, which was arguably the highest point of his career.

Lee’s once-promising stock never really got back on track, eventually being released by the Las Vegas-based promotion after going 2-4 in his next six outings. “The Motown Phenom” picked up a decision win over fellow UFC veteran Diego Sanchez under the Eagle FC banner before re-signing with the UFC and losing to Fakhretdinov last year.

Having had the opportunity to step back and reassess his life goals since announcing his retirement, Lee seems rejuvenated and motivated to return to action.

“I’m gonna get in the best shape of my life that’s my focus right now. It’s been six months since I retired, and I miss being around the sport.”