MMA Knockout

Former Interim UFC Title Challenger Delivers Stunning Submission Win

A former UFC interim title challenger made his return to MMA known with a statement submission win.

Zain Bando

Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; An overall view of the octagon before the fight between Rose Namajunas (red gloves) and Tracy Cortez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena.
Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; An overall view of the octagon before the fight between Rose Namajunas (red gloves) and Tracy Cortez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One former UFC lightweight's return to MMA Saturday night was nothing short of effortless.

Hours after UFC Paris had concluded, Kevin Lee, a former UFC interim lightweight title challenger, made his home state of Michigan proud at Lights Out Championship 17.

In his first fight since last July, the 32-year-old Lee made short work of Thiago Oliveira. The first-round rear-naked-choke submission only needed 1:38 ground control time to complete the job. It also broke a five-year drought after Lee's last stoppage win. In November 2019, he delivered a now-iconic highlight-reel KO/TKO against Gregor Gillespie, ending a then two-fight losing skid.

Prior to Lee's UFC stint ending, his career was stellar. He has fought some of the best the sport has to offer, including former lightweight champions Charles Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos, plus ex-title challenger Al Iaquinta.

Kevin Lee's UFC Run Resulted In A Title Shot

Lee's best years came between 2014 and 2017. Bursting onto the UFC scene, Lee won nine of 10 fights that period, which set up an interim lightweight championship fight with Tony Ferguson in the fall of 2017. Lee was submitted via a third-round triangle choke, the closest he'd ever get to capturing UFC gold.

From then on, Lee would win two more times in the promotion before retiring last July. Albeit briefly, Lee attempts to find new footing, given his most recent triumph.

Before returning to the UFC or another top-flight MMA promotion, Lee plans to make a quick turnaround by competing in Bare Knuckle MMA in November. He is scheduled to face Saul Almeida who has previous experience in several promotions, including Bellator.

It is unclear where Lee plans to head next after the Almeida fight. However, he told MMAFighting it didn't make sense to him why he wouldn't get an opportunity to compete on Dana White's Contender Series given how fluid the show's format can get.

For now, Lee's next fight could determine his future in combat sports.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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