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UFC Vegas 35 saw the return of Kevin Lee at welterweight. The Detroit-based fighter had taken a hiatus of almost two years before returning to face Daniel Rodriguez.
His last fight was against the current champion, Charles Oliveira, in March 2020. The fight was originally at lightweight but was ruled a catchweight after Lee missed weight. The Detroit native would lose by submission and promptly announced he was taking a break.
Unfortunately, things did not go well for “The Motown Phenom, with a loss to Rodriguez by unanimous decision. The judges had Rodriguez winning two rounds as he managed to hurt Lee and control the contest on the feet.
Kevin Lee immediately went on Instagram Live and commented on the performance in a way only he could:
“Well, that was a shit fight.”
It seems many were in agreement with Lee. Even UFC President Dana White questioned if he would remain on the roster.
Lee now moves to 0-2 at welterweight after losing to Rafael dos Anjos by submission back in May 2019. That fight had many wondering if Lee was the right size for welterweight, a question that also came into play Saturday.
His lack of size was a problem against Rodriguez. The bigger fighter was able to use his size to beat Lee on the feet and was able to negate the former lightweight's ground advantage.
The moment that cost Lee the second round was when Rodriguez was able to land a clean punch that left him visibly hurt. The rest of the fight was controlled by Rodriguez as he got more comfortable.
There are many questions for Kevin Lee going forward, including what weight class he needs to compete in and whether or not he will remain with the UFC. The fan favorite has a lot to think about before making a return.
