Kevin Lee hasn’t missed a beat.
In his first MMA fight in 14 months, Lee (19-8) needed less than two minutes to submit welterweight veteran Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17. The bout took place at Hype Athletics in Wayne, Mich., Lee’s home state.
Lee, a one-time interim UFC lightweight title challenger, locked in a tight rear-naked choke that had Oliveira tapping at the 1:58 mark of the first round.
Watch the finish below.
Kevin Lee isn't paid by the hour! Quick work in the @MoTownPhenom's MMA return at @LightsOutFights 17!#LightsOutChampionship #MMA pic.twitter.com/QZTLhQ65Zq
— Spectation Sports (@SpectationNet) September 29, 2024
Prior to Saturday’s in-cage appearance, Lee’s most recent MMA appearance was a first-round submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov at a July 2023 UFC event, and his most recent win was a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez at an Eagle FC show in March 2022.
“The Motown Phenom” told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck he would still like to return to the 155-pound division, where he was formerly a top-10 fighter in the UFC. His long-term goal is to book a matchup with UFC champion Islam Makhachev.
“I want to fight for a world title,” Lee said in an interview with MMA Fighting ahead of the Oliveira fight. “I just want to fight the best guys. Am I hung up on the organizations? Not really. I want to fight the best guys and the guys that really will give me a challenge, who people feel are unbeatable.
“I think it’s a shame I never got to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. It’s a shame if I don’t ever get to fight Islam in his career. I think I pose threats for those guys that not a lot of other lightweights do, and I think a lot of people would, would agree with that. So it’d be kind of a shame if they go their whole careers and not fight a wrestler like me.”
Lee, 32, isn’t wasting anytime getting back into the groove of competition as he is already set to fight Saul Almeida at a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event on Nov. 15 in Biloxi, Miss.
