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Kevin Lee has shown that time away from the cage hasn't slowed him down. In his first MMA bout in 14 months, Lee (19-8) delivered an impressive performance by submitting welterweight veteran Thiago Oliveira in less than two minutes at Lights Out Championship 17. The event, held at Hype Athletics in Wayne, Michigan, marked Lee’s triumphant return to his home state.
Lee wasted no time asserting dominance, securing a rear-naked choke that forced Oliveira to tap out at the 1:58 mark of the opening round. The win was a much-needed rebound for Lee, whose last fight ended in a first-round submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov at a UFC event in July 2023. Before that, Lee had secured a unanimous victory over MMA veteran Diego Sanchez at an Eagle FC event in March 2022.
While the victory at Lights Out Championship was a step in the right direction, Lee has bigger ambitions. In a pre-fight interview with MMA Fighting, Lee expressed his desire to return to the UFC’s 155-pound division, where he previously ranked among the top contenders.
"I want to fight for a world title," Lee said.
His ultimate goal is to face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a fight Lee believes would be a true test. Reflecting on his missed opportunity to fight the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, Lee stated,
"It’s a shame if I don’t ever get to fight Islam in his career. I think I pose threats for those guys that not many other lightweights do." Lee remains focused on fighting the best in the sport, regardless of the promotion.
Looking ahead, Lee is already gearing up for his next challenge. He is set to face Saul Almeida at a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event on November 15 in Biloxi, Mississippi, showing no signs of slowing down in his return to competition.
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