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Former UFC lightweight fighter Kevin Lee announced his retirement from the sport last month.
Although he was once hailed as a highly promising fighter in the UFC, Lee encountered a string of hurdles in recent years while attempting to reignite his career. The UFC chose to re-sign 'The Motown Phenom' in February, yet his comeback didn't unfold according to plan.
Upon his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 76 last month, Kevin Lee reentered the promotion, only to endure a swift first-round defeat as he was submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov.
Shortly following the defeat, the 30-year-old Michigan native announced his retirement through an Instagram post:
"To make a long story short, I’m deciding to retire from MMA and the UFC. It’s been 12 years, 12 long years of me being the best fighter I can be, and a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication to trying to be the best fighter in the world."
Check out Lee's post below:
In a recent revelation, Kevin Lee confessed to tearing his ACL moments before the fight introductions in his last UFC bout. He shared a compilation video on Instagram showcasing his octagon entrance during UFC Vegas 76, where the injury occurred just before the bout. Lee also mentioned that he is currently preparing for surgery.
"I almost fell down some stairs earlier today so I decided to make this video as an update. Hopefully I get a surgery date soon all glory to god and him only."
Check out the video below:
Kevin Lee describes his dark drug-induced journey that led to his conversion to Islam
After his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 170 in March 2020, Kevin Lee endured a serious knee injury that had profound effects on his life. Battling the aftermath of this injury, 'The Motown Phenom' became entangled in a struggle with drug addiction, which stemmed from the pain medication he was prescribed during his recovery following surgery.
During an interview with TheDeenShowTV, Lee stated:
"I came from straight sin, so once I tore my knee and had the surgery, I was introduced to pain pills. And once you're introduced to pain pills, then it kind of starts a downward spiral through different drugs and different things that seem like the answer at the time."
He added:
"I spoke with God, this was before I even became a Muslim. Just as clear as me and you are talking, I felt like God told me, 'Hey, you've been a Muslim this whole time. You are Muslim.' I don't feel like I reverted, I feel like I woke up to the realization that that's what I've been the whole time."
Check out Lee's comments below (from 4:30):
