“Destroyed both my knees in the first round” - Kevin Lee still suffering from terrifying after-effects of Charles Oliveira bout in 2020

Kevin Lee recently revealed that he is still dealing with the after-effects of his bout against Charles Oliveira in 2020.

'The Motown Phenom' and 'Do Bronx' headlined UFC Fight Night 170 in Brazil, which is remembered as the first event held with no audience due to the pandemic. The 31-year-old shared a tweet that featured highlights from the fight and stated that his knees were compromised during the bout, resulting in many surgeries and a lengthy recovery. He said:

"Charles destroyed both my knees in the first round of this fight and we kept fighting, 3 knee surgeries since, and I’m still recovering 4 years later"

Kevin Lee's tweet regarding his bout against Oliveira [Image courtesy: @MoTownPhenom - X]

Both fighters' respective careers went on completely different paths following the event. Oliveira went on to eventually win the UFC lightweight championship, while Lee eventually parted ways with the promotion and returned following his win over Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46.

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Is Kevin Lee making a comeback?

Kevin Lee agreed to return to the UFC last year, but his octagon return didn't go according to plan as he was submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov in 55 seconds of the first round at UFC Vegas 76.

One week later, Lee took to his Instagram account and announced his retirement from MMA. Despite the announcement, it appears as though the 31-year-old is planning on making his return to the octagon. He took to his X account last month and announced his intentions to return but noted that he doesn't know when that will be yet. He wrote:

"I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. Idk when, where, or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now...I’m gonna get in the best shape of my life that’s my focus right now. It’s been 6 months since I retired and I miss being around the sport"

Kevin Lee's tweets regarding coming out of retirement [Image courtesy: @MoTownPhenom - X]