Kevin Lee’s trip to Brazil for UFC on ESPN+ 28 ended in defeat.
Now he says he has to go back to the drawing board, perhaps for “a few years or so,” before he’s ready to return to the fray again.
“The Motown Phenom” succumbed to a third-round guillotine choke from Charles Oliveira 29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) in the main event at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia on Saturday. The 27-year-old fell short for the third time in his past four outings.
Still shellshocked from the defeat, Lee (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) talked to reporters backstage after the fight and attempted to put a finger on exactly how it all went wrong.
“I mean, I got choked, so I don’t know,” he said. “I felt like the fight was going good, and I just got choked. I really can’t put it on nothing else but that.
“The first two rounds, I felt I stuck to the game plan, and then I sat in the corner in the third and told them I was going to switch up the game plan. Looking back on it, I abandoned it, and that was the wrong move. I tried to take control of the fight instead of just letting the fight happen. I choked myself out.”
The defeat capped off a rough week for Lee, who arrived in Brazil amid growing concerns over the global coronavirus pandemic. Then he failed to make weight at the official weigh-ins and tipped the scale 2.5 pounds over the 156-pound non-title lightweight limit.
That weight miss, Lee said, played into his defeat. He laid the blame for his loss firmly at his own door.
“Even with the weight cut and all this stuff, so many things were bouncing and moving,” he explained. “It was very unprofessional on my part, I will say that. I could have approached it a whole lot better, coming down here all the way to Brazil, on not necessarily short notice. But I should have given myself more time to prepare for this fight.
“The (lack of) time killed me, and (I was) just unprepared for it. I didn’t bring a dietician down. I thought the UFC was going to cover that a little bit more – they did for my last fight. So it was more unprofessional on my part, and I can’t do nothing but apologize and just blame myself. And I think that, the way the weight cut went, kind of carried over into the fight. (It) definitely didn’t help.”
Despite the weight miss – his second in his past four lightweight fights – Lee insisted his optimal weight class remains at 155 pounds. But he admitted he will have to go back and address some issues before he sets foot inside the octagon again, even if that means a long layoff.
“I think lightweight’s still my home,” he said. “I’ve just got to fine-tune some things. But I’m going to take a long time. I kind of rushed into this fight. It’ll probably be a good minute before you see me again.
“I think I’ve got to evaluate some things. I felt like my camp was great. My coaches told me all the right things to do. I abandoned it – it’s all on me on this one. So it’s going to be maybe a few years or so.”
While Lee’s disappointment was evident, his desire to go back and improve was equally noticeable and he explained what he’d be working on as soon as he returns to training.
“A lot more jiu-jitsu, for sure,” he said. “I keep losing these fights by choke, and these guys ain’t even choking me. It’s me getting choked. I think it’s me choking myself, so I’ve got to figure out why.”
Kevin Lee hints he may go away for 'maybe a few years' after submission loss at UFC Brasilia
