Kevin Lee announces retirement from MMA
Kevin Lee’s return to the UFC became a transient-lived one.
The 30-year-standard Detroit native, who became a frail period in-between UFC lightweight title contender, returned to the UFC cage for the first time in nearly two years on July 1 but his comeback became unceremoniously ended decrease than 60 seconds into the first spherical by Rinat Fakhretdinov, in what became the Russian fighter’s 20th straight profession compile (and third within the UFC).
Nonetheless despite his pretty youthful age, a fresh meander 3-6 in his final nine profession fights has delighted ‘The Motown Phenom’ that it is time to hang up the gloves.
“To originate a protracted story short, I’m deciding to retire from MMA and the UFC,” Lee stated in an Instagram video explaining his decision. “It’s been 12 years, 12 long years of me being basically the most uncomplicated fighter I will be able to even additionally be, and a quantity of laborious work, a quantity of dedication to looking out out for to be basically the most uncomplicated fighter within the field.
“When I search for motivate on it, I had a hell of a profession, I fought a quantity of complex guys, a few of the toughest guys within the field, I frequently put up a battle, I never backed down, and ceaselessly challenged myself to create issues that I didn’t think I became in a position to doing. The final three years were rough, especially on my physique. It’s been a quantity of injuries, and in actuality that’s one of many essential factors of me making this decision: I’m in need of yet one more surgical design after that final battle.
“I’m proud that I went out on my shield, I’m proud that I stood up in there and went out on my contain terms, but at this level, I’ve obtained to take into accounts extra than correct myself, and I possess that my abilities and the time and the vitality that I’ve put into this sport, I will put into one thing else and God keen, all glory to God, he’s going to handbook me down a particular route, the prison route, where I will utilize my abilities to support of us. I possess if I commit myself and provides correct as significant laborious work to doing one thing else, the sky’s the restrict.
“So any other time, I withhold my head up high. I’m a exiguous dissatisfied that I didn’t attain everything I needed to but I’m proud of myself for this profession that I’ve had and I fancy each person who has given two f*cks about me and each person who has supported me. Even the of us that form of doubted and hated alongside the kind, I fancy each person. It’s been a hell of a spin. I’m serene younger, I serene in a position to doing loads on this existence and that’s what I’m going to create.”
In his heyday, Lee scored impressive wins in opposition to the likes of Michael Chiesa, Edson Barboza, as well to what proved to be his final compile within the UFC, a head-kick knockout of Gregor Gillespie. He remains basically the most uncomplicated fighter to withhold a professional victory in opposition to Gillespie.
