Surprise! Kevin Lee announces end to brief MMA retirement: ‘I miss being around the sport’

Mixed martial arts (MMA) retirements aren’t real.

Remember Kevin Lee? Well, it wasn’t all that long ago that the one-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight title challenger decided to move on from the sport. “The Mo-Town Phenom” retired off the heels of his 55-second guillotine loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov (watch highlights) in his promotional return in July 2023. The loss made the 31-year-old Lee 3-5 in his last eight fights (19-8 overall) since he fell short of the interim crown against Tony Ferguson in October 2017.

As they never do, however, another MMA retirement isn’t lasting as Lee has shared he’s plotting a comeback.

“I’m coming out of retirement,” Lee tweeted. “I’ll fight MMA again. I don’t know 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,” he concluded. “It’s been six months since I retired and I miss being around the sport.”

At Lee’s best, he was a force on the ground and put together a strong five-fight winning streak from 2016 to 2017 that consisted of four finishes (three submissions, one technical knockout). The run culminated with Lee’s infamous rivalry against Michael Chiesa, who he finished in round one with a controversial rear-naked choke.

There have been large glimmers of brilliance in Lee’s victories over Edson Barboza and Gregor Gillespie after his Ferguson setback. Ultimately, he hasn’t been able to reach the same heights prior, and finding the ideal weight class between Lightweight and Welterweight has been one of the bigger struggles along with staying healthy.

Lee fought once outside UFC between his two stints with the promotion. That bout came against his fellow UFC veteran, Diego Sanchez, in Eagle Fighting Championship in March 2022. Lee won the 165-pound bout via unanimous decision (watch highlights).