Connect with us

MMA

‘Feeling like a world champion again’

Published

on

‘Feeling like a world champion again’

Thursday morning, Kevin Lee sat in an airport with a plastic cup of Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, awaiting his flight to Detroit.

It was an unfamiliar process, considering how familiar the destination was. Saturday, Lee (19-8) returns to MMA competition for a homecoming fight in Wayne, Mich., at Lights Out Championship 17 on Spectation Sports. It’ll be his first fight near his home city since November 2013.

“It’s only fitting that it ends up back home, back where it all started,” Lee told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “I feel like I’m almost restarting my career.”

In a lot of ways, Lee is restarting. He flipped the on-off switch twice over the past two years. In February 2023, Lee made his long-awaited UFC return after a brief departure, and was rendered unconscious in 55 seconds by Rinat Fakhretdinov.

Advertisement

“As I did that jump and tore my knee a little bit, I had kind of checked out of that (Fakhretdinov) fight,” Lee said. “Not many people are going to notice this, but I even turned my back to my opponent and was mouthing to my brother, ‘I just f*cked my knee up bad.’ Honestly, I just stopped the fight right then and there before it happened. I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be in that fight.”

There was soul-searching, yes, but also physical recovery. Lee said he’d dealt with a torn ACL since a March 2022 bout vs. Diego Sanchez and fought through it in the Fakhretdinov fight.

“As much as I’ve dove into that and as challenging as that is, fighting is still in my heart,” Lee said. “I still love this sh*t. I still knew after a few months I was going to do this again. I started training heavy, maybe in February. I started really training. Then, in June, I started really feeling like, ‘OK, this is the old me again.’ Probably in the last two months, I’ve been feeling like a world champion again.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 01: (L-R) Rinat Fakhretdinov of Russia punches Kevin Lee in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on July 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Advertisement

Despite having debuted in the UFC a decade ago, Lee is still only 32. He fought for an interim title vs. Tony Ferguson in the UFC 216 main event in October 2017. Despite his name and 11-8 UFC record mainly against tough competition, Lee didn’t get a second fight that stint.

“They didn’t really have much conversation for me,” Lee said. “They pretty much just said, ‘No. All right. You want to come back? Come back. But go somewhere else,’ basically. I even offered to go on Dana White’s Contender Series. Again, I’m not really sure what the problem is. It’s not numbers. It’s not what I’m willing to do for the company. I’m somebody who fought Tony Ferguson when nobody else wanted to fight Tony, when they needed somebody to fight him for the world title, given that Conor McGregor had just fought Floyd Mayweather. It wasn’t looking good for the company. If I didn’t fight Tony Ferguson at that time, you would’ve had DJ (Demetrious Johnson) and (John) Moraga headline it, which was a good fight, but it wouldn’t have sold. We sold almost double with me on the card. I know what I bring to the company.

“I know I’ve had some legendary moments inside the cage. If they don’t see that, then that’s cool. I can show it. I can prove it. If I end up somewhere else at the end of my career, then that’s just what it is. I’m not going to necessarily be hung up on something. I’m not necessarily going to change who I am.”

Could it be his blatant honesty that came back to bite him? Lee’s not sure.

Advertisement

“I did hear that Dana had a problem with me speaking on the Apex for my last fight, like, ‘Why are we still fighting at the Apex?’ But that’s just how I am,” Lee said. “I’m opinionated. If you ask me a question, I’m going to give you an honest answer. I can’t bite my tongue and act like somebody I’m not just to appease anything. I love the UFC. They built me to who I am. It really built my career and I’m happy it’s gotten me that far. But if it’s no more, then it’s no more. That’s cool.”

Regardless of why he’s not on the roster now, Lee thinks good performances could mend all fences. It begins Saturday at LOC 17 as he battles Thiago Oliveira (17-12-1). Lee has also booked a second fight, in Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA for Nov. 15 vs. Saul Almeida (20-14).

A third UFC stint is in his plans, and Lee thinks the road back kicks off with these two fights.

“I’ve been talking with a guy named Eric Thomas, who is a great motivational speaker,” Lee said. “He said winning changes everything. It don’t matter whatever else is going on. Winning changes everything. That’s what we’re going to start this weekend. After this win, after the next win, it changes everything. I think people just want to see me back, too. I think there are some questions revolving (around) my health. There are some questions revolving the knee injuries and all that stuff. I’m happy to put those things behind me and step into the next chapter. … I don’t owe anybody anything. With that, I’m just looking to go out there, have fun, and compete. I’m not really hung up on the results anymore.”

Advertisement

 

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Football

Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor says decision to postpone Man Utd game ‘not good’

Published

on

Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor says decision to postpone Man Utd game 'not good'


Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says the decision to postpone their Women’s Super League match against Manchester United was “not good”.

They were due to face United at home on Sunday but it was postponed with a week’s notice due to a conflict with Chelsea’s European schedule.

Chelsea face Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League group stage on Tuesday, just two days after the United game was set to take place.

Advertisement

“We were disappointed as players and staff. I think everyone has to understand we were supposed to play,” said Bompastor.

“We were in a very good team dynamic and I think not having the opportunity to play changed everything in preparation for the game with Real Madrid.

“When you have the opportunity to play one game a week, with this decision being made to postpone the game, now we have been out of competition for 10 days which is completely different.

“If you look at the situation, the decision is not good. I think it is not good for all the English clubs who are in the Champions League competition.”

Advertisement

Chelsea are joined in the group stages by WSL rivals Arsenal and Manchester City this season.

The WSL has been taken over by a new independent company this season – Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) – and Bompastor says the league “need to know about the rules”.

“For them it’s good to have our feedback and as I always said to the league, I think we should be proud to have three English clubs in the Champions League this year,” added Bompastor.

“All the decisions in the league this year have to be made in order to help the English clubs compete in the Champions League.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

MMA

Ex-UFC champion, MMA veterans come up short at 2024 Brazilian elections

Published

on

Ex-UFC champion, MMA veterans come up short at 2024 Brazilian elections

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao and 10 other MMA personalities tried their luck running for seats as city councillors but failed to earn enough votes during the elections on Oct. 6.

Barao, who once reigned as the best 135-pounder, only gathered 253 votes in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte.

Felipe Arantes, who went 5-6-1 under the UFC banner with his best win being a submission over Yves Jabouin, earned 14.607 votes in São Paulo. Godofredo Pepey, who lost to Arantes by knockout in the octagon back in June of 2013, received 77 votes in Fortaleza.

The second-most voted MMA personality was Chute Boxe leader Rudimar Fedrigo with 3.758 in Curitiba which was also not enough. Former Chute Boxe fighter Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons also ran for a seat in Curitiba, but received only 143 votes. Evangelista Santos, another Chute Boxe veteran, gathered 341 votes in his hometown Rondonopolis.

Advertisement

The least voted MMA figure was 56-fight veteran Paulo Bananada with only 12 votes in Sapé. TUF veteran Delson Heleno received 111 votes in Teresopolis, while Ronys Torres had 472 votes in Manacapuru. Ralph Gracie, with 1.422 votes in Rio de Janeiro, and Tiago Trator, voted for 257 times in Laranjal do Jari, complete the list.

Source link

Continue Reading

MMA

Alex Pereira kickboxing rival downplays Rountree beatdown

Published

on

Alex Pereira kickboxing rival downplays Rountree beatdown

Artem Vakhitov dismisses the notion that UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is the best striker in MMA.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) retained his title by battering Khalil Rountree in Round 4 of Saturday’s UFC 307 main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Vakhitov (2-1), a former rival of Pereira’s in kickboxing, wasn’t as high on Pereira’s performance as everyone else was.

“I don’t think that he’s really good and the best striker because to have just one good punch, it doesn’t mean you’re a really good striker,” Vakhitov told Submission Radio.

“A real striker is someone who has a lot of combinations, very different opportunities. He’s just taught well: one punch and deliver in it. But it doesn’t mean having good distance and timing and other stuff. So I think he’s not a really good striker because of it.”

Advertisement

Vakhitov and Pereira fought twice in Glory Kickboxing in back-to-back bouts. Pereria won their first meeting by split decision at Glory 77 in January 2021. Vakhitov avenged that loss eight months later by majority decision at Glory 78.

Pereira said he doubts Vakhitov can recreate their kickboxing history in the UFC, but Vakhitov thinks otherwise. The 33-year-old will look to earn a UFC contract Tuesday when he meets Islem Masraf (3-0) at Dana White’s Contender Series 75 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Yes, for sure I saw it, and he could say now whatever he wants. But the time will come, and he will change his opinion, I’m sure,” Vakhitov said. “Fighting in small gloves is a different sport. We have a very good and experienced team. For sure in the future, if the fight would happen, we would do everything to be ready for it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Advertisement

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

Jarell Quansah: Liverpool defender signs long-term deal at club

Published

on

Jarell Quansah: Liverpool defender signs long-term deal at club


Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah has signed a new long-term contract at the club.

The 21-year-old has been at the Reds since he was five and made 33 appearances in all competitions in his debut season last term.

He has played twice in the current campaign under head coach Arne Slot – the 2-0 win against Ipswich in Liverpool’s Premier League opener and the 5-1 victory over West Ham in the League Cup.

Advertisement

“I couldn’t be happier at this minute,” he told Liverpool’s official website., external

“I think the way the new manager has come in, his coaching style has definitely been a massive part of that.

“I think this is the best club in the world for me to develop at and become a better player.”

Quansah made his first-team debut under previous boss Jurgen Klopp, with an impressive display off the bench against Newcastle in August 2023.

Advertisement

He also played as Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last season.



Source link

Continue Reading

MMA

Amanda Nunes sends message to Dana White: ‘Call me, please’

Published

on

Amanda Nunes sends message to Dana White: ‘Call me, please’

Amanda Nunes took on social media to send a unique message to UFC CEO Dana White.

“The Lioness”, who retired from the sport after defending her UFC bantamweight title against Irene Aldana in June of 2023, posted a video singing “Outdoor”, of Brazilian samba group Só Pra Contrariar.

Nunes changed the lyrics to ask White to “call me, please,” adding that “I miss you so much.”

The original lyrics are as follows.

Advertisement

I can’t believe you won’t look for me

I’ve suffered too much beyond what I deserve

Oh, please call

I miss you so much

Advertisement

Nunes left the UFC as a two-division champion, winning 14 of her past 15 fights. Julianna Peña — the lone loss for Nunes during that stretch, who beat “The Lioness” for the 135-pound belt before losing their rematch — called for a trilogy bout after defeating Raquel Pennington in the co-main event of UFC 307 this past Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Source link

Continue Reading

MMA

After undergoing surgery, Sean O’Malley ‘wants to be back ASAP’

Published

on

After undergoing surgery, Sean O’Malley ‘wants to be back ASAP’

Sean O’Malley thinks he could return earlier than he originally anticipated.

O’Malley underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he was dealing with prior to losing his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was initially looking at six-eight months off, but after going under the knife, “The Suga Show” is planning on coming back a little sooner.

“(I) got surgery Thursday,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “Today is Saturday, it’s been f*cking two days. I feel f*cking great. I’m going to come back better than ever. I’ll be back next week to sparring. I do think I am going to do everything right. I’m going to recover as fast as I possibly can, and I’m going to get back. Everyone is like, ‘Don’t come back too soon.’

Advertisement

“I’m coming back the right amount of soon. I want to be back ASAP. I want to get these fights in while I’m still young enough. I turn 30 this month. I want to recover, do everything right, but I want to get back in there April, May, June latest. I think I can be back before that. March even would be crazy, but who knows? I’m just going with the flow, day by day.”

O’Malley is not short of options in his return, and already has a slew of bantamweight contenders such as Cory Sandhagen, Henry Cejudo, and Jose Aldo hoping to fight him.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 WordupNews.com