Kevin Lee was on the losing end of another fight over the weekend, but he still seems determined to right the ship.
In his return to welterweight this past Saturday, Lee dropped a unanimous decision to late-replacement opponent Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 30 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, leaving his future in question. The loss dropped Lee (18-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) to 1-4 in his past five fights, leading UFC president Dana White to wonder if Lee still has a future in the UFC.
On Monday, Lee posted his first extensive comments about the fight and where he stands in general, and it appears he has no intention of quitting on himself.
“Didn’t have a good performance this last time out but honestly after 500 days away and multiple surgeries I’m proud of what I was able to do,” Lee wrote on Instagram. “I tried climbing a very tall mountain and this was just another speed-bump [sic] on the way. My best performances are ahead of me and I know that.”
Lee, 28, was considered one of the UFC’s brightest prospects not long ago as he’d won nine out of 10, including a five-fight winning streak, to earn an interim lightweight title shot against Tony Ferguson in October 2017 at UFC 216. Lee was competitive in that fight but ultimately lost by third-round submission.
The loss to Ferguson was the beginning of a 2-5 downswing. Complicating matters is the fact that Lee has undergone surgeries and struggled to make the lightweight limit, prompting two separate moves to welterweight that have resulted in defeat.
What happens next is unclear, but Lee is determined to get back on track.
“I don’t care if I have to bump my head to get there [sic] I won’t stop until I figure this sh*t out,” Lee wrote. “I’m still competing with the best in the world and won’t hang my head just yet. If you have something negative to say f*ck you from (the) bottom of my heart. F*ck all the hate yell [sic] can burn in hell. And thank you to everyone who has reached out with love. I’m not done yet. Not at all.”
Kevin Lee after UFC on ESPN 30 loss: ‘I won’t stop until I figure this sh*t out’