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Kevin Lee isn’t thrilled about fighting in the Apex for his UFC return.
On July 1, Lee will fight under the UFC banner for the first time since parting ways with the promotion in 2021. ‘The Motown Phenom’ has been matched up against Rinat Fakhretdinov, scheduled for the UFC Vegas 76 featured preliminary bout.
During the UFC Vegas 76 media day, Lee was asked about fighting in the UFC Apex. He responded candidly by saying:
“I’m not gonna lie… I wish it was in front of more fans. I don’t know how many people are gonna be at Apex, but it’s kind of stupid. I don’t know what we’re doing. You know what I mean? The pandemic over. I don’t know if people got the message or, you know, if they sent out the telegram, but the pandemic is over. I don’t know what we’re still doing here.”
Lee continued:
“I get that there’s money to be had, but it’s kind of stupid. It’s a different energy when it’s thousands and thousands of people screaming… I wish that [a bigger audience] was happening, but I’m gonna make do with what I do, and I’m going go out there on Saturday in front of the 200, 300 rich-ass motherf**kers that wanna see me bleed, and we gonna get it in.”
Kevin Lee has an opportunity to make a statement on Saturday night. Fakhretdinov holds a UFC record of 2-0 with unanimous decision wins against Andreas Michailidis and Bryan Battle. Meanwhile, Lee established an 11-7 record in his first UFC tenure between 2014 and 2021.
Kevin Lee discusses his journey back to the UFC
Kevin Lee’s last UFC win was a legendary knockout against Gregor Gillespie in November 2019. Since then, he lost against Charles Oliveira and Daniel Rodriguez before fighting once in Eagle FC, a unanimous decision win against Diego Sanchez.
During the same media day interview, Lee had this to say about his journey back to the UFC:
“I feel like it’s been about three years since I’ve really performed at the right level and really had the right fight. So for three years, it’s been me rebuilding myself, rebuilding my strength, everything, to get back to that level.”
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Kevin Lee is a +175 betting underdog, while Rinat Fakhretdinov is a -205 favorite. With that said, ‘The Motown Phenom’ has never lacked confidence, which remains the same in his return to the UFC. Only time will tell if the former UFC interim lightweight title challenger can start his second promotional tenure with a win.
