Kevin Lee’s second UFC debut ended in disaster.
‘The Motown Phenom’ was once touted as a future champion before going on a run of just one win from five fights and being released by Dana White's promotion in 2021.
Lee got back in the win column against MMA legend Diego Sanchez to earn another shot in the UFC – he was matched up with Rinat Fakhretdinov at the APEX facility on Saturday night.
However, things didn’t go well, and he was put asleep inside one minute at UFC Vegas 76.
Fakhretdinov, who is known for his elite-level wrestling ability, came out aggressively and had instant success with his strikes before scoring a heavy knockdown.
The 22-2 fighter dropped Lee with a huge right hand and followed his man to the floor to lock up an extremely tight guillotine choke.
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Lee, who once fought Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title, appeared to be fighting back and he even had his hands wrapped around one of his opponent’s legs.
It soon became clear he wasn’t when someone at cageside shouted, ‘He’s out’, suggesting the American had lost consciousness during the scramble.
After taking several moments to assess what was going on, veteran referee Herb Dean stepped in to wave off the fight before Fakhretdinov released his grip and Lee’s head bounced off the canvas.
As the 31-year-old Russian celebrated the biggest win of his career, Lee regained his senses but looked confused as people around him explained his latest UFC fight had ended in a 55-second defeat.
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“You have to remember that we’re the new generation,” Fakhretdinov said during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
“We’re the best fighters around here. I have nothing but respect for Kevin Lee. He’s a great fighter. I specifically studied him. I watched his tapes. I made sure to educate myself on him.
"I watched that [Gregor] Gillespie knockout day in and day out. I had his picture there that I looked at all the time.”
“I can punch, and I can wrestle. It all depends upon what our game plan is and what my coach says. If I have to be prepared to wrestle, I’ll wrestle. If I have to knock somebody out, that’s what I’ll do.”
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