Kevin Lee unfortunately didn't mentally handle the loss after his return to the UFC. So he decided to hang up the gloves.
Such a talent he was, many sang his praises and considered him a future lightweight champion. But after his loss to Tony Ferguson, it was as if a turning point came and an otherwise great fighter couldn't find himself.
Detroit's "The Motown Phenom" has lost six of his last nine games and has learned that no matter how hard he tries, it doesn't lead to anything. And that's despite the number of times he's tried to pick himself up off the ground. The loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov was so much for him that he even decided to call it quits.
"I'm going to end my UFC career, but I can't find the right words to say on video. There are more things to do in life than just fight," was the message Kevin posted on his social media.
The emotional state of mind is logical, after all Lee was destined for a great future, but sad at the same time because he is only thirty years old and most fighters are yet to hit their peak performance.
The most talked about issue with Lee was that he wasn't the right weight class for him. Many fighters and experts agreed that he has no business at Welterweight because he is too small for it.
However, he loses too much power for the lightweight division. Something in between those two divisions would be ideal for him, but something like that isn't planned yet.
Final decision?
Generally speaking, time solves everything. It has happened many times in the past that fighters who quit after fighting setbacks have subsequently come back. Kevin Lee may be no exception.