Kevin Lee has his UFC return fight booked.
According to MMA Underground’s John Morgan, Lee is set to make his UFC return on July 1 against Rinat Fakhretdinov at welterweight. The event will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the card sees Sean Strickland taking on Abus Magomedov.
Kevin Lee (19-7) had one fight outside the UFC as he beat Diego Sanchez by decision at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022, before eventually re-signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship earlier this year. ‘The Motown Phenom’ had signed with Eagle FC after being released from his UFC contract, which he felt was due to the fact his manager was also Francis Ngannou’s manager and they were having disputes during their negotiations with the promotion.
Lee fought in the UFC from 2014 to 2021 going 11-7 but ended his first tenure on a two-fight losing skid as he lost to Daniel Rodriguez and Charles Oliveira. Lee had headlined six events, including one pay-per-view as he fought and lost to Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title. In his career, he has notable wins over Gregor Gillespie, Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa, and Jake Matthews among others.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-2) is 2-0 in the UFC and coming off a one-sided decision victory over Bryan Battle back in December. In his promotional debut, the Russian beat Andreas Michailidis by decision. He had earned his way into the UFC by knocking out Eric Spicely in 55 seconds at a co-promoted UAE Warriors and Eagle FC event.
With the addition of Lee vs. Fakhretdinov, the July 1 UFC event is as follows:
- Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
- Damir Ismagulov vs. Grant Dawson
- Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
- Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto
- Joanderson Brito vs. Khuesin Askhabov
- Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Brunno Ferreira
- Ivana Petrovic vs. Luana Carolina
- Jordan Leavitt vs. Elves Brenner
- Vinc Pichel vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Who do you think will win, Kevin Lee or Rinat Fakhretdinov?
