The American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Kevin Lee, didn’t have the best of times when he was in the UFC. Despite some impressive performances beating the likes of Gregor Gillespie, Michael Chiesa and Edson Barboza, he couldn’t build on that, and it was all downhill after a loss to Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight title.
Once he lost to Ferguson in October 2017, his career seemed to take a tumble. Having lost four of his last five fights, late in 2021 his contract with the UFC was terminated. That did, however, include his impressive victory with a highlight reel knockout against Gillespie. But it wasn’t enough to save his UFC career where he had a record of 11-7.
And whilst you may not see Lee in the UFC any more, there is still plenty of other action you can back. In the upcoming UFC 270, the heavyweight title is on the line, as reigning champion Francis Ngannou takes on French challenger Cyril Gane, with both fighters at odds of -110 to win, so it could go anyway. Then, just before that also on the main card will be a flyweight title bout between Mexican Brandon Moreno (-170) and Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo (+150). You can check out the remainder of UFC fight odds for the event online.
Lee will return
Whilst Lee may not be appearing on any upcoming UFC cards though, that doesn’t mean he won’t be fighting any time soon. That’s because a deal has already been agreed for him to return to the ring, but he has signed up with a new promoter. Yes, after once stating that he would love to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, he’s now fighting for him, with his promotion, Eagle Fighting Championship.
The Eagle Fighting Championship (Eagle FC) was established by Nurmagomedov in 2020, after he bought out the Gorilla Fighting Championship for $1 million. Not long after he rebranded it to the promotion as we know it today, and have stated recently that they plan on hosting 10 events throughout the US in 2022.
One of those events will feature Kevin Lee, however which one precisely is unknown. It is believed his debut is set to be an Eagle FC event in Miami on March 11th, 2022, and will take place at 165 pounds. However, his opponent, whomever it may be, has not been named yet. And it is too early to speculate who it might be, because new fighters are being signed up constantly to the new promoter, so there could be a number of new faces on their roster well before the fight takes place.
The next Eagle FC event
Whilst many fans would love to see Nurmagomedov make a return at his own promotion, allowing us to see repeats of his stellar performances from times such as his fight against Tony Ferguson, it’s not going to happen at the next Eagle FC event. But that doesn’t mean he may not appear there in the future, especially with many other fighters coming out of retirement to fight at Eagle FC events.
The next such event will be Eagle FC 44, the first of their events to ever take place in the US when it is hosted in Miami on January 28th, 2022. The headline bout for the night will be a heavyweight clash between the 36 year old Surinamese-Dutch fighter Tyrone Spong, and 41 year old Russian veteran fighter, Sergei Kharitonov.
The UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans will be making a return to fighting from retirement, in a fight that will sit under the main event on the EFC44 fight card. However, his opponent hasn’t been revealed yet, and with just over a month to go, unless it’s some big secret and everything is arranged, it’s not a lot of notice for either fighter to learn about the opposition. But we’re sure no matter who Evans gets, it’ll be an entertaining fixture.
And the action doesn’t stop there either, with more former UFC stars entering the ring. This time former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao and Horacio Gutierrez will face off against each other. There will also be a fight between the undefeated Ramazan Kurmagomedov and veteran John “Doomsday” Edwards, as well as one between Ray Borg and Cody Gibson.
Final words
It’s safe to say it’s an exciting future for Khabib Nurmagomedov and his Eagle FC promotion, as they head towards their first US show in January. There are some excellent ties lined up, with some old favorites making a return to the ring, and upcoming youngsters proving their worth too. THe fact so many fighters have come out of retirement to fight for Eagle FC does give fans a little hope that they too may one day see one of the greatest ever MMA fighters to grace the octagon return in Nurmagomedov. But if not, we’ll just have to settle for seeing him bringing us fights rather than taking part.
