Kevin Lee said he’d be open to an MMA return and now has a fight booked against Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 on Sept 28 in Wayne, MI.
First reported by MMAJunkie.
Lee (19-8) will take part in his first fight since taking a loss against Rinat Fakhretdinov at the UFC APEX in July 2023. Prior to that he defeated Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022.
The Detroit-born lightweight entered the UFC at UFC 169 where he dropped a decision to Al Iaquinta. Following the loss he put together a 9-1 run to earn himself a shot at the lightweight interim title against Tony Ferguson. Lee ultimately lost the bout via submission and that started a rocky 2-5 run that ended his time with the promotion.
He faces Thiago Oliveira (17-12-1) a 15-year MMA vet who has a 1-3-1 record in his last 5 bouts. Last time out he fought to a draw against Adam Assenza at BTC 24: Apex. Oliveira fights out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
This likely won’t be the last time fans see Lee fighting with recent reports that he signed to fight a bareknuckle MMA bout on Nov 15 for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. No opponent has been announced as of yet.
Kevin Lee recently said he’d be willing to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series so he could show he can still fight at a high level. Ultimately the UFC turned down the offer, which led to Lee signing with Lights Out Championship in his home state.
