Kevin Lee was eager for another opportunity to compete in the UFC, where he fought from 2014 to 2021. The lightweight gained prominence in 2017 when he challenged Tony Ferguson for the interim title but fell short.
In 2021, Lee was released from the UFC. He returned briefly in 2023, but his comeback ended in a quick and brutal submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov.
Later that month, Lee announced his retirement from MMA but returned to action the following year, securing a submission victory at Lights Out Championship 17. Most recently, "The Motown Phenom" signed with the newly created Global Fight League (GFL) and continues to pursue fighting.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Lee revealed that he offered to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series for a modest $5,000, but his proposal was rejected.
I really want to compete. For me, money isn’t necessarily the biggest issue; I said I’d take that fight for $5K on (Dana White's) Contender Series against the best contender they got,” Lee said. “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.
Lee also shared his frustration with the UFC’s lack of interest.
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. I feel like I’m professional, I do what I need to do, and I don’t rub too many people the wrong way.
Despite the setback, Lee remains determined to prove his worth.
Why they didn’t want me to go on (Dana White's) 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.
Lee’s resilience underscores his commitment to competing at the highest level, leaving fans to wonder if another UFC opportunity may still be on the horizon.