Kevin Lee Rejoins UFC Roster, Targets Spring Octagon Return

Former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee is coming back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“The Motown Phenom” revealed to ESPN that he has signed an exclusive deal with the Las Vegas-based promotion and expects to return to the Octagon sometime in the spring.

"I met with [president] Dana White and [chief business officer] Hunter Campbell, and I feel like I'm going back home," Lee told ESPN in a statement. "I'm grateful for them welcoming me back and looking forward to the next chapter of my career.”

Lee was released from the UFC in 2021 after losing five of his last seven promotional appearances. He has fought once since then, taking a unanimous decision triumph against Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022.

Prior to that slump, Lee was regarded as a rising star after winning nine of his first 11 UFC bouts. That culminated in a showdown against Tony Ferguson for interim 155-pound gold at UFC 216, where Lee lost via third-round submission.

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