Kevin Lee is done waiting. After a long layoff, knee surgery, and a botched GFL deal that went nowhere, he’s finally stepping back into the cage. Lee faces Gadzhi Rabadanov this Friday at PFL World Tournament 6 in the lightweight semifinal, and he’s carrying a chip on his shoulder.
At +850 underdog odds, most aren’t giving Lee much of a chance. But that doesn’t shake his belief in what he brings to the table.
“A lot of people have written me off. A lot of people forgot about me and a lot of people doubted me, so it’s time to shut them up,” Lee said on MMAFighting. “I don’t really blame people too much for the write-off. It’s been five years since I’ve fought at lightweight. That was the start of the pandemic. For a lot of people, that feels like a lifetime ago.”
Lee knows that new fans might not remember the version of him that headlined cards and knocked out Gregor Gillespie cold in one of the most vicious head-kick finishes in UFC history. They might have forgotten the Kevin Lee who once fought for an interim title. But he hasn’t forgotten who he is—or what he’s capable of.
“This sport has grown so much since then,” he added. “There are so many new fans who don’t remember 2017, 2018, 2019. It’s time I make my stamp and remind them who I am.”
Since his knockout loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov in a brief UFC return, Lee picked up a submission win on the regional circuit. That was supposed to be the start of his comeback. Then came the GFL deal. Lee signed on, expecting big opportunities. Instead, the promotion collapsed before it even launched.
“The GFL thing was a crazy debacle,” Lee said. “I’ve been with them for six months now. I gave them six months of my life to sit on the sidelines. It wasn’t something I was interested in. I did everything I could to make sure they understood that I wasn’t going to waste time. But these other promoters don’t always know what they’re doing. They don’t always make the right choices. That’s what happened.”
Despite the frustration, Lee kept grinding and stayed ready. When PFL brought its lightweight bracket to Orlando, he showed up—and Rabadanov caught his attention.
“The only guy who interested me was Gadzhi,” Lee said. “He knocked out Marc Diakiese real quick. Showed speed, power, accuracy. He was the only lightweight on there to really interest me. I told them I wanted that fight. Three weeks later, he gets hurt, and they call me. I didn’t hesitate. It’s what I wanted. It’s time to rock and roll.”
Rabadanov enters the bout riding an 11-fight win streak with three straight knockouts. But Lee isn’t focused on the odds. He sees this as the right fight at the right time, and a shot to remind the world that the best lightweights don’t all fight in the UFC.
“More than anything, I wanted to fight and prove myself as a top lightweight again,” Lee said. “This guy is one of the top lightweights right now. The best fighters aren’t always in the UFC. We’ve seen that with Strikeforce, WEC, PRIDE, and now the PFL. Some guys from here are going over and doing great things.”
Lee’s not bitter about how things ended with the UFC. He admits he even offered to go on The Ultimate Fighter just to get back in the door. But when that didn’t work, he moved on. This PFL shot is about validation—not revenge.
“This is the way things were supposed to happen,” Lee said. “It don’t necessarily have to be with no specific promotion. I just wanted the right fight at the right time, and that’s how it played out.”
At 20-8, Kevin Lee has seen the highs and lows of the sport. But his mindset hasn’t changed.
