As one door closes, another opens …
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee,is now a Professional Fighters League (PFL) fighter, inking a multi-fight deal, according to MMAFighting.
“Motown Phenom” is a noteworthy move for PFL, which has faced challenges recently with top talents like Aaron Pico, Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mixbolting for greener pastures.
It is currently unknown if Lee will compete in the promotion’s 2026 Lightweight tournament or if he will be saved for PFL’s “Super Fight” series. For what it’s worth, though, the promotion has only executed one such event since the initial announcement.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Lee (20-8) achieved a ton of success in UFC, earning an interim Lightweight title shot against Tony Ferguson at UFC 216. However, he was submitted in the third round (watch highlights).
Following the Ferguson loss, Lee — who was seemingly always destined for bigger things — struggled, winning just two of his final six UFC bouts; however, one was a spectacular head-kick knockout of Gregor Gillespie (watch highlights).
After his initial UFC release, Lee competed in Eagle FC, securing a lackluster victory over Diego Sanchez.
Lee briefly returned to UFC, but was run over in 55 seconds byRinat Fakhretdinov (watch highlights), leading to another release.
Lee then fought competed on the regional circuit, earning a first round submission. Despite efforts to rejoin the UFC — including offering to compete on Contender Series — he was ultimately turned down.
The 32-year-old later signed with GFL, but the promotion folded before hosting an event (details here), paving the way for this PFL deal.
For all the latest PFL news and notes click here.
