Kevin Lee’s Incredible Journey To Khabib’s Eagle FC

After all, there’s nothing more visceral, or existential than a man fighting for the future of a sport, and there’s something to be said about a fighter diving into the elite’s shark tank headfirst at an early age. Raised by wolves is the fitting analogy; a young legend is even more fitting when telling Kevin Lee’s tale.

Lee might not be carrying a fancy, undefeated record. However, “The Motown Phenom” has something much more valuable and prestigious than most fighters, a collection of elite stripes since he was twenty-one years old.

2014: Undefeated 27-year-old Kevin lee(7-0) made his UFC debut under the brightest lights against New York’s finest Al Iaquinta. Although Lee fell short in his debut, he made it known that he’s far from shying away from the read that requires the most resistance.

A loss for an undefeated young fighter might be a career-ender and a confidence snatcher. However, “The Motown Phenom” showed his championship character by dusting himself off and winning four fights in a row.

Dateline Las Vegas: UFC 194 hosted the biggest featherweight fight in history. The card also featured Kevin Lee against Leonardo Santos, who (Santos) was undefeated for almost seven years. Again, Lee took on the challenge of facing an unknown killer, which we rarely see young fighters doing, if ever.

Lee fell short again. However, history shows that a setback for Lee always led to furious statements. Just like that, the Detroit-born went on a five-fight win streak, but that streak of wins might be one of the most underrated runs in the sport.

Lee’s five victories included a showdown in Brazil with almost 20,000 screaming Brazilians as he faced off against one of the most avoided fighters in the sport at the time, Francisco Trinaldo.

Not only did Lee silence the crowd with a stunning finish, but he stunned Trinaldo with a head kick that eventually opened up the submission. Not bad for someone who was labelled as “just a wrestler.”

Lee’s momentum secured him a title fight at just twenty-five against Tony Ferguson, who was at his true prime.

Lee had an incredible start against Ferguson, dropping and mounting “The Boogeyman” in the first round. Eventually, Ferguson’s experience and mental fortitude led him to become the victor.

Not many get to say this, but Kevin Lee actually fought the best Tony Ferguson the world had ever seen, and Lee was still a shot or two away from putting away the future Hall of Famer.

After the gruelling championship fight, Lee went 1-2 in his next three fights. However, not many know that the Detroit-born lost something more prominent to him than any fight; his coach, supporter and father figure Robert Follis passed away at that time.

Suddenly, Lee found himself in a situation where things couldn’t get any worse. Many nights were spent by lee looking for that voice that assured him of his greatness when in doubt, and for that voice to be gone in an instant, Lee knew that it was a make or break moment in his career.

A change was needed, and as always, Lee took the most challenging road for his comeback by leaving sunny Las Vegas and moving to snowy Montreal to train with MMA royalty Firas Zahabi.

Kevin Lee’s comeback was set: UFC 244, in the most iconic arena in history, Madison Square Garden. Gregor Gillespie was the man standing in Kevin’s way to immortality.

It was a typical Kevin Lee booking, fighting an undefeated fighter in a do-or-die situation on the biggest card of the year. So, to put it mildly, the situation was far from ideal for “The Motown Phenom.”

On the event where it had the first-ever BMF title fight in the sport’s history, out of all the twenty-four fighters that were competing that night, in front of former U.S President Donald Trump, Kevin Lee scored one of the most shocking, jaw-dropping knockouts in combat history, ending with a walk-off for the history books. Lee deserved the BMF crown that night.

What a mind-boggling sport. The highs and lows are unlike anything in this world. One poor performance leaves the fighter in doubt of his entire existence, and the feeling of a win is the most addicting drug ever to be discovered.

Unfortunately, Kevin’s high didn’t last long as he crossed paths with Charles Oliveira, who went on to become the undisputed lightweight champion a few months ago.

Following the loss to Olivera, Lee tore ligaments in both knees and had to undergo a long, gruelling rehabilitation phase in the past year and a half. And you guessed it, Lee didn’t quite look like his old self when he returned against the surging Daniel Rodriguez.

You can only ask so much from the mind and body before somethings finally gives in. And even though Kevin Lee might have lost his way inside the unfathomable chaotic life of a fighter, there’s however light at the end of the tunnel.

Kevin Lee has always been destined for greatness. We just didn’t know that it was outside the UFC. However, two men did. The greatest manager in mixed martial art’s history, alongside the greatest lightweight in history, Khabib Nurmagomedov recognized that launching the 165-pound division needed a man with a strong enough back to carry history, and Detroit’s Lee takes center stage on March 11th to do so against martial arts royalty, Diego Sanchez.

Since twenty-one, facing nothing but killers in every fight, with setbacks occurring at the finish line every single time, Lee never gave up, and his purpose remains the same, champion next to his name. So take a bow; the Motown Phenom is back.