What Happened to Kevin Lee?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ส.ค. 2022
- In 2017 Kevin Lee was touted by fans as a future MMA champion, only for tragedy and inconsistent form to derail his career. Today we look at how the Motown Phenom spluttered and stalled his way out of the UFC.
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Kevin "I see holes in his game" Lee
But ultimately; the hole was in Kevin's game...
Fighters aren’t allowed to be confident in themselves around here
But where does kevin lee fit into this
He looked so promising
Could never win a big fight
@@jackdaniels7653 there's a fine line between confidence and straight up delusion
Another factor, I believe, is his fighting style which is too reliant on conditioning and athleticism given the amount of physicality and pace it requires.
I agree his style takes a lot of energy to perform 5 rounds
@@ftbs_jay7600 but he's not going five rounds. He's only having to go 3 lol. 5 are for champions
@@samsquanch1234
Five is not just for champions. It's for title fights or main events. Kevin was scheduled for five rounds in six of his last nine fights.
His cardio looked OK against Barboza. Not elite or anything, but good enough. But that's because he was in control for 90% of that fight and Edson barely made him work. As soon as dudes start to resist he panics and just throws and pacing he might have had out the door. Yoel Romero is a good example of a Uber explosive guy who knows how to pace himself enough to be able to still be dangerous late in the fight. Kevin would just fight at an unsustainable pace.
But where does Kevin Lee fit into all this?..
I want an answer to this question too . . .
Been asking that question all my life..
How does this affect LeBron legacy?
Apparently he fits in eagle fc
@Mohamed the guy *Kevin
i cant even imagine how painful it would be to known as a “what if” in a sport you gave so much blood sweat and tears for, I still have high hopes for my boy as unlikable as he can be at times. in my mind he is still a super young guy
"Little"
Not remotely going to be a champion in any meaningful org
Well said bro
it’s over for him unfortunately. he can’t walk 10 steps without tearing a ligament in his legs :(
Mma is a brutal sport the fans are so sensitive and take loses personal
Francisco Trinaldo’s UFC losses include Kevin Lee, James Vick, Alexander Hernandez, Michael Chiesa, Muslim Salikhov
It feels like beating Francisco Trinaldo sentences a fighter to permanently being inconsistent
Holy shit .. ur right. The trinaldo curse lol
Mma science is a crazy thing. I love the chaos, it makes the world a less scary place.
He beat Alex Hernandez too, that was a robbery.
@@sochioranmyaku texas judges gonna texas lol
@@sochioranmyaku Bro it was so bad but that was really lucky for Alex he might’ve never gotten a win again after that if his confidence got broken.
Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee wrestled on the same college team, they both competed for Grand Valley State in NCAA wrestling
An now they are both overhyped wash ups.😂
@@tmerchead1 ? Kevin lee never was overhyped his wrestling decent, he just have a low fight IQ
@@ymkyourmoneyking8157 nah he was definitely overhyped, cmon don't be a casual
@@marcGOAT1 says the casual who can’t read lmfao, he’s not overhyped his wrestling always been good, just had a low IQ, most of his fights he could’ve won, you need to stop being a casual and watch his fights, his IQ always been his downfall
@@ymkyourmoneyking8157 nah he's definitely overhyped, you just another dumb casual fanboy that doesn't understand🤡
His Gillespie fight is still one of the most brutal KO's I've ever seen.
If you're wondering what happened to him post-UFC, despite multiple offers from different organisations, he became Eagle FC's biggest signing when he signed in December 2021, citing the presence of a brand-new 165lb division as being the main reason behind the move, a weightclass he had been specifically asking for for years while at the UFC.
At Eagle FC 46, he took on fellow UFC veteran Diego Sanchez in the main event, utilising his wrestling to emerge victorious via unanimous decision despite injuring his knee throwing a leg kick in the first round. This knee injury has kept lee out of competition since but becoming mma's first 165 pound champion is still his goal. He also recently also converted to islam and has been commentating on Eagle FC events during his layoff
I think it would be cool for a new weight class but if they add more it'll be like boxing but good for some fighters forsure.
He converted to Islam now? Hell no, just when I thought he couldn't be any more unlikeable
your boy is trash lmao
also recently also converted also to also islam also. also.
@@jimmyrodriguez5670 he said also literally two times. You're a certified klown
Surprised you guys didn't talk about his signing with EagleFC and his win over diego sanchez. Keep up the good work INC! Very underrated channel
Let's be real. Non-UFC organizations are irrelevant in the sports because they don't do strict drug testing like USADA does.
i was a lil confused about this ngl
Because there is nothing to talk about. He made Sanchez look good in 2021/22.
@@somdutroy sanchez looked good before his stunt with that demonic bozo fabia
Because beating diego means nothing
I really thought after the Ferguson fight that he’d eventually find himself in another title fight and after his KO over Gregor Gillespie I thought it was that time for him to make another run but it just fell apart
Injuries made it that way
His striking is bad, his cardio is bad, and he doesn’t stick to gameplans it didnt just “not work” he didnt make it work
at the time it made sense. working with firas and then knocking out another top prospect.
it sucks that staph infection changed the entirety of his career
@@LeMeilleurr How does his striking suck if he just came off of a performance of the night knockout of Gregor Gillespie?
@@davidphillips1845 just because he landed a punch and a kick dont make him a good striker, dude often whiffs and gasses out cause he dosent know how to strike properly and conserve energy
Kevin Lee was a quality fighter just had bad luck
The UFC needs a 165 division. An extra title to use and a lot of good fighters in that area
RDA and Danny Rodrigues beat him at 170. Both would easily make 165. 165 is not going to make Lee a top 10 fighter.
165? Thats fucking idiotic..... literally have a division at 170.
No
Colby would’ve been champ at that weight or at least a top contender. Do you see Kevin Lee come even close to beating someone like Colby?
Kevin should fight low level competition for his next 5 fights. I feel like he’ll earn his way back into the UFC one day but only if he paces himself and really tries to build his confidence up slowly. Very admirable to constantly go after tough opponents but sometimes it’s better to be slow and steady
He literally fought Diego. Tbf he did mess his leg up but he didn’t look that good even before it
@@clarencelamorena8032 He tore his acl in the first 5 seconds bro
He said he only wants olives which the ufc isn’t gonna give him
@@clarencelamorena8032 literally blew his knee out and still won ? Idk what else you want
@The Science of Violence sometimes tells me I’m gonna get r/wooshed rn but that’s Charles name people call him lol
Robert Follis was a good dude. Learning more about his upbringing made his loss even more heartbreaking. Rest easy.
The one time ever Yamasaki stopped a fight early. He usually let's the fighter go until they see a light at the end of a dark tunnel
that was not an early stop, look at the dudes arms and his face, it was a good call
Idk why but I’m such a fan of Kevin lee. I like his attitude and he’s could be such a great fighter. He’s had some solid names on his resume too win or lose. Never ducked a fight.
Can't b a fan of a guy who uses the phrase "I'm in my bag" then when asked what that means he didn't know 🤣🤣🤣 #hesafollower #hesdumb
@@MrClarkworld you used hashtags on a yt comments that sad makes you look stupid
This is such a great informative video man. Keep up the great work.
Honestly, he is pretty good, he just happened to fight in an era where Oliveira, Khabib, Ferguson and RDA existed
Honestly he had the physical tools to be better than Ferg and RDA. He just never put it together mentally.
@@Kagemusha08with that compulsive smoker's gas?
@@Kagemusha08 no gas dude
This shows how much team and coach plays a role ina fighters career
Big ego, bad management and even worst matchups. Had Lee taken a slower route he might have benefited more, instead he was thrown to lions and eaten up quick.
I really believe sean O'Malley has shown the way for many fighters, slow n steady and move up when good n ready.
Omalley's fighting Yan lmao
@@lunafreed yeah bc its an instant title shot if he wins lol, he’s not fighting anyone else in the top 10 with a lot to lose
@@lunafreed Yes, it took O'Malley 5 years and 11 fights to face an elite level fighter. Lees last 8 opponents were d-rod, Gregor gillespe, Charles oliveria, RDA, tony ferguson, Al iaquinta, edson barboza and Michael chiesa.
Lee has fought killers for ages, he even debut in ufc against raging al. Wat way tougher path than the ppl O'Malley fought by far.
@@BrushworkNL nah he went from unranked fighters to the previous champion. That’s a huge step in competition
@@Chadius_Thundercock yeah idk wtf theyre saying lol
3:13
Mario Yamazaki stopping a fight early?
That fight took place in a different reality.
He's a transitional fighter stuck between two eras. There's the old guard that's Dustin, Eddie, Tony and then there's the new breed with Arnan, Gamrot, Fiziev etc
Were does Oliveira fit in there though? Old guard? New breed? Or is he a hybrid of both?
@@madgavin7568 old guard
that panic wrestling when barboza wheel kicked him is goated
Another great and quality video, from beginning to end. I remember when the news of Follis was announced, but hearing it from the perspective of Kevin Lee gives it a totally different perspective. Keep up the great content!
Kevin lee is a prime example, 17 fights in UFC over 7 years and he won 1.6 million in prize money. Sounds like a lot but it’s 235,000 a year before taxes, gym/management/coaching fees. He might have gotten 60-70,000 a year out of it after all. I just think that’s bullshit. Does Dana white really need another 100,000 night in Vegas? He’s worth 300,000,000. There isn’t anything he can’t buy that he wants. So why not pay the fighters?
belt, debt, money fights, brain damage, glory
Never thought about it but it's actually pretty impressive how well the tall older Australian security guy handled Michael Chiesa on that press conference stages. Like he just straight up handled him haha.
Kevin Lee is the equivalent of a kid in the early years of elementary that gets high grades without effort and everyone is so impress by how "smart and mature" that kid is at basic elementary school shit but thanks to this he doesn't develop any work ethic and becomes underwhelming in the later years of elementary school and for the rest of his school life.
I think the ufc, didn't give him enough fights after his rise, maybe it was his side that messed it up, yet I find the ufc won't keep gate keepers around, rather have new guys beat nobodies then get into the ranks.
Good to know where Kevin Lee fits in to all of this!
I think Lee could have possibly became the champion if all fights were 3 rounds
I liken his career to Darren Tills. Insane amount of skill and talent. But in MMA anyone can lose any night and a few losses add up fast.
He always gassed after round 2. Poor conditioning.
I cannot imagine losing someone so influential to and after losing a interem title. And In his mind thinking maybe He could of prevented this is so heartbreaking
The UFC sort of threw him to the wolves immediately. He also probably took fights he shouldn't have. He relied on explosive movement and power and would wilt when taking body shots. If his wrestling was stymied, he seemed to be a little clueless to what to do next, and his fights with Al are a great example there. Better strikers like Tony put a clinic on him and sort of exposed his vulnerabilities, then EVERYONE went after them in later match-ups. And like others mentioned, his ego and management were the cherry on top. I was hoping to see him do more after Gillepsie but it all seemed to fall apart.
He dominated Tony Ferguson before Tony got him into submission, what fight did you watch? Tony was dominated
Kevin Lee was the most delusional fighter the UFC ever had.
Great video
He really seemed like a Goldmine. If he linked up with the right team, there's no telling how great he could have been. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it just seems like things just never clicked for him.
Honestly, I don't think he changed, he did super well against Oliveria and a bunch top contenders, he just kinda got the shorter end of the stick everytime, the fight with daniel was simply because he was too small for welterweight.
People also got tired of the whole “potential” angle he was coasting on, it eventually became ridiculous
Kinda begs the question, just how good is Diego Sanchez?
he always struck me as someone who had all the components to be a dominant champ - just seemed like he had some mental stuff getting in his way
My man is back
I was just thinking about him the other day. The dude had great charisma and an amazing look, and the UFC defenitely got behind him and wanted him to be a champion. But he just wasn't there skill wise and he had so many setbacks that prevented him for reaching where he could have gone.
His loss to Charles olivera wasn't put into perspective until after Oliveira became the champ. Charles also went through inconsistency and adversity before hitting his stride, it's not too late for Kevin.
I feel like it’s a mental thing. Olivera always had ufc champion potential, but he didn’t believe it inside until his team convinced him. I think Kevin Lee is in a similar situation.
Lee's displays of confidence always gave me pause, even when he was doing well around the time of his interim ts. Like after DRod beat him and Lee said he was embarrassed to lose to a journeyman lol. Dude had so much bluster that it felt like he was trying to hide some deep insecurities. Always looked great until someone hit back. As soon as that happened he'd just start panicking, fighting stupid and dumping his gas tank. Guy really could use a sports psychologist to help him get a grasp on his mental game and start trying to mimic situations where shit goes wrong in training. He's still fairly young but has had some pretty serious knee injuries. And given that his athleticism was one of if not his biggest strengths, that injury doesn't bode well for a return to elite form.
Honestly, Kevin Lee means a lot to me… let me take you back to November 2nd 2019 (Diaz v Masdival). It’s my first time watching a UFC event and of course, I casually showed up right when the main event started at 7pm. The card starts and an undefeated guy named Gillespie makes his walk and then this guy Kevin Lee comes out looking like he doesn’t have a single fat cell on his body and I knew this was going to be a good first UFC fight to watch. Up to this point in my life, I had only seen fights end from punches in boxing. I’m just watching the fight not expecting much when BOOM 💥. Kevin lands that punch and headkick combo and follows up with a strike or two leaving Gillespie literally snoring against the octagon. I jumped out of my seat screaming as loud as physically possible for at least a whole minute, a feeling I’ve never felt before took over my body and I knew I was hooked. From that day I have never missed a UFC event. Fight nights, ppvs, TUF, contender series etc. I love MMA and I’m addicted to watching these warriors battle in the octagon and I personally have Kevin Lee to thank for that.
Kevin Lee is good at everything, the issues is that he isn't great at anything
Injuries he's still 29 and cab beat most of the 155 roster un ufc but he's a in-between
He really can’t. He got smoked by an unranked Rinat, lost to Daniel Rodriguez and lost to Al Iaquinta twice. Who in the current 155 roster do you think Lee could beat? He’s an explosive wrestler with solid control and decent submissions, but his striking is meh and his cardio is awful. I don’t see him beating fighters like Benoit St. Denis, Renato Moicano, Mateus Gamrot or Jalin Turner
And let’s not even consider the 170 division right now with guys like Shavkat, Belal, JDM, Covington or Geoff Neal. He doesn’t pose a serious threat to any of these guys, maybe JDM with wrestling and submissions but if JDM can survive against Burns on the ground then I’m betting my life on him surviving wirh Lee on the ground
Crazy to see Kevin ko Gillespie and dominate Tony Ferguson in round 1 but almost lose to Diego Sanchez via leg kicks haha. Fuck! This a really cold world!
Absolute joke that he’s not in the UFC rn look at the dudes he lost to
That’s what happens when you don’t duck any fights when you probably should
@@ftbs_jay7600 so true
Feel like he was cut prematurely,. Losses to the champion and in a weight class up, after one of the most spectacular head kicks in recent years.
hes always been a guy who was streaky. he woukd win 3 in a row and lose a few in a row. throughout his whole career
Cap. He was on a five fight win streak going into the Ferguson fight
That's really tragic for this man that his mentor died thst way I feel bad that I never really liked Lee, now I wish him the best in life and hope he is happy and doing well. I lost my dad to suicide and it hurts a lot. Now I feel like I hope Lee is ok and doing well.
Great video, But Where does Kevin Lee fit into all of this?
Thank you.
Great job 👍
I remember when Lee missed weight and then started calling out GSP like he deserved that fight. Lol
But where does Kevin Lee fits into all this holes in the game ?
Kevin Lee sees holes in this documentary.
He's still young only 29. Far from finished
Kevin “I see a lot of holes in his game” Lee
Mario stopping a fight early is a legendary sss+++ event.
Man, I was there watching when Kevin and Al had the first fight in Chicago and holy shit did that place go wild. I took Lee in the fight and it was insane. I can't believe it... Still hurts to lose those $20 to my brother
IDC what noone says michael was going to sleep tap or no tap he was stretched...
Did Lee ever apologize for the "momma" incident? He lost me as a fan after that.
Me too
Imagine Kevin Lee with fight IQ
His opponents saw a lot of holes in his game, so he’s gone now
He has talent, what he needs is work on his personality. Long before his EagleFC fight he was talking like he was champ already, even got cocky. Same story with Hernandez, Till,...many of those hyped up young fighters started to believe the hype and stoped progressing. Moreover, they stop to selfreflect properly. If Kevin Lee doesn't make it into a bigger promotionen again, his fighting carrier might be over.
Doubt he will ever be a high level fighter again since he has had too many serious knee injuries.
Guy was hype
UFC wanted more Conor types and Lee fit the bill.
Loud, brash etc
Then he had to fight next level fighters.....
Honestly thought we were gonna find out what happened to him after the ufc
If we’re being honest he believed his own hype so much that he actually became delusional, he was talking about how he would help GSP train for khabib and later said GSP would want to fight him (context that he would win) he acted as if he had a chance against khabib literally 2 weeks after getting whopped, he tried to copy Conor and acted as if Conor copied him making the fans not like him and laugh at him anytime they could, I can go on for hours but in short he really was delusional.
Kevin Lee is the new Michael Johnson
You know what's crazy - he's 29
i can answer this: he finally fought good fighters
Kevin lee’s main coach died years ago hes not been the same since
Always seemed for every step forward Kevin took two steps back.
The UFC doesn't need a 30th weight class. Just do your job and make weight.
Hes currently working big time w Phil daru, you can watch that here on TH-cam. He’s looking good, hope he makes a comeback
What other fighters are high risk low reward type guys ? That fought un ranked killers, guys that everyone avoided? I love watching those type of careers
he'll be back in the ufc in a few years
I truly believe that one of Kevin Lee’s biggest mistakes was going to that camp, extreme couture big mistake. Lee should have jumped ship the moment his coach took his own life, that was also a red flag moment, you don’t want to be coached by a team that’s led by a weak selfish individual
i could see him coming back to the ufc in a year or two. lots of potential. and really doesn't seem too big for lightweight probably carrying a bit too much muscle mass
Simple: Kevin Lee's delusion of grandeur and dedication to trash talk....outlasted his talent and dedication to work
He just needs to get the right fights.
I still have a hard time believing how 5'9 kevin lee has a monsterous 77' reach
But where does Kevin Lee fit into all this?
Finally found out where he fits into in all of this
where tho good sir🗿
@@logosfocus eagle fc
his ego got in the way of his amazing talents. classic.
I have a feeling there's going to be a similar tale to this with Darren till
Always thought he looked like Bruce Leroy from The Last Dragon
Dude had trouble with an old Diego Sanchez.
C avg fighter who could’ve been so much more.
You see his fight against Diego Sanchez in Eagle FC? It made Diego look good.
he coulda been shoulda been.
im embarassed to say that at one point, i thought Kevin Lee was the one who had the tools to beat Khabib.
now hes out here strugglin against captain CTE Diego Sanchez
Kevin Lee can still make a come back if he plays his cards right.
back too back ACL injuries and also cutting too much weight
He had potental and he jumped in the mix and was getting noticed. But this is classic tale or loss of focus. Not training on his weakness not challenging himself in his camps. He was content at making it to the show once he did he lost focus and he derailed himself. I heard in was of his clips him saying the only thing he got out of the UFC drinking problem and tax trouble. That comment right there should show you he stop working on himself. He blames everyone for his problems. Shame he had a chance to be great but didnt truely believe in himself. Otherwise he would have put himself with the right people to get him to that next level. I hope at some point he regains his focus and fights to win not to make a check…
UFC needs to scrap the 170 division and add 165 and 175. Add 195 also.
What Kevin Lee should have done is move to Stockton and trained with the Diaz Brothers if he really wanted to step his cardio up. #RealTalk
I completely forgot his mentor / coach died…no wonder