Kevin Lee says 'lack of respect' from UFC upsets him most about release, excited for big paydays

Kevin Lee says he received an email Tuesday morning informing him of his release from the UFC. It was dated Nov. 17, and it didn’t come from any member of the UFC’s top brass – not president Dana White, not chief legal officer Hunter Campbell, not even matchmaker Sean Shelby.

“That was kind of the worst part about it,” Lee said Wednesday on “The MMA Hour.” “Didn’t really have the proper notice or even get a phone call about it. … Honestly, that’s what pisses me off the most – the lack of respect.”

Lee said he did speak with Campbell (“he kind of fed me some bullsh*t”) but only after he called Campbell – not the other way around.

Lee’s release from the UFC came after more than seven years and 18 fights with the promotion. That included an interim lightweight title shot in October 2017 when Lee was submitted by Tony Ferguson in the third round of their UFC 216 headliner to snap a five-fight winning streak. Lee rebounded from that defeat with a dominant fifth-round TKO doctor stoppage win over Edson Barboza.

It’s true that Lee (18-7) has since fallen on hard times lately, losing four of five fights in three years – his lone victory a highlight-reel knockout of Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 – while bouncing between lightweight and welterweight because of multiple weight misses. He was also issued a six-month suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission stemming from medication he was taking to manage adult ADHD prior to his most recent loss to Daniel Rodriguez on Aug. 28.

All things considered, the unceremonious nature of Lee’s exit from the UFC leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

“That’s the main thing that kind of pisses me off about this. When we in the UFC, that’s really all you’re fighting for, is your respect,” Lee said. “People respect you for being a UFC fighter. When they hear the name, they automatically give you some kind of respect. We not doing it really for the money. It ain’t a whole lot of fame in this sh*t. It’s like, OK, I’ve done all this sh*t for y’all. I’ve put put my body on the line just to end up with an alcohol problem and some tax problems. And at the end of the day, you take my respect away from me, too? It’s like, OK, well then, sh*t.”

Lee isn’t sure why the UFC ultimately decided to release him but said he had a feeling “something else was going on” after White said he would figure out what’s next for Lee “here or not here” following the loss to Rodriguez.

“I think there was more politics and stuff going on behind the scenes, and I got caught in the middle of that,” Lee said. He couldn’t elaborate further but added that it was “more than just about my fighting skills, and I know it was a lot more than was on the surface.”

Door shut on a UFC return?

Lee admitted he was still speaking emotionally about his release from the UFC, adding that he even feels “a little bit embarrassed” by it.

At 29, there’s a chance – albeit a slim one – that Lee could compete elsewhere and build himself back up for a return to the UFC. For that reason, Lee said he’s heard from “a lot of people” telling him not to bash the UFC and “keep the bridge open.”

Lee isn’t so sure about that, though.

“OK, yeah. ‘You can come back at some point.’ Honestly, I don’t really want to,” Lee said. “Why would I want to work with somebody who’s gonna disrespect me like that? It’s crazy. That’s the only thing we fight for in this game.

“My only goal and objective right now is to show that they just made one of the worst mistakes that they did. And, you know, I’ll be a millionaire within a year or so. That’s pretty fun.”

Lee looks ahead to what’s next

Lee said he “maybe touched a million” dollars in career earnings with the UFC. The fact that he’s just become one of the hottest free agents in MMA is something for Lee to hang his head on.

Lee said he’s already been in touch with three promotions, including Triller. He wouldn’t name the other two.

Bottom line: While the bitterness of his UFC release is fresh, Lee looks forward to maximizing his earnings on the open market.

“I’m a prize fighter. So at the end of the day, I’m gonna go to whoever pays me the most,” Lee said.

He continued, “I’m excited to get in there in a different arena, too, a little bit. That should be interesting. That should be fun. I kind of needed a restart anyway. That part should be fun. Of course I’m excited for the money. People respect money more than anything apparently because, at the end of the day, they’re gonna disrespect you anyway, so you might as well get the money. Then they can’t say sh*t about it.

“I’m excited for all of that, some new challenges. There’s a lot of big fights outside the UFC. There’s a lot of good competition, too. I’m gonna make sure we pick the right guys, and we’re gonna have fun with this.”