Kevin Lee, known as "The Motown Phenom," is returning to the UFC octagon after being dropped by the promotion. He will face off against Rinat Fakhretdinov in a highly anticipated matchup at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov. Lee's comeback signifies a new chapter in his career as he steps into the lightweight division. Read more about his comeback.
On the heels of Kill Cliff FC’s Ilia Topuria’s epic beat down of Josh Emmett—and shouldn’t Emmett’s corner have thrown in the towel? Debate, and show your work—comes another KCFC UFC thriller: Kill Cliff FC’s Kevin Lee returning to the Big Time in a UFC brawl against Rinat Fakhretdinov. “The Motown Phenom” returns to the octagon to take on “Gladiator” a year after being dropped by Dana White’s promotion.
“I met with Dana White and [UFC chief business officer] Hunter Campbell, and I feel like I’m going back home,” said Lee in a statement to ESPN. “I’m grateful for them welcoming me back and looking forward to the next chapter of my career.”
The next chapter begins for the lightweight-turned-welterweight Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov, live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The prelims, including the Lee-Fakhretdinov battle, start at 4 p.m. ET with the main card kicking off at 7 p.m. ET. You can see Lee on ESPN and the main card on ESPN+.
Let’s see what Lee is up against in the Russian. Let’s take a look at his won-loss record, OK?
Hmmm. So, it looks like Rinat has won one, two, three, four in a row. Wait.
Five, six, seven, eight in a row. Wait.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve in a row. Oh no…
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…this isn’t good.
Seventeen, eighteen, NINETEEN FIGHTS IN A ROW.
Ah, he lost one! In June 2013! The last time an opponent raised a victory arm after a bout with this guy, Obama was president.
But he won the one before that! The guy is 20-1-0 as a professional fighter, but only two of them UFC, the rest were in regional promotions. He wins with submissions, TKOs, and unanimous decisions with equal impunity.
While Lee, a former lightweight contender, has his work cut out for him if he wants to be the first to beat Rinat in the 2020s, he might want to control Fakhretdinov on the ground for a possible submission or, better, a ground-and-pound finish. The Russian rarely goes the distance while Lee usually uses all three rounds to get to the end.