Report: Kevin Lee signing with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion
Update: At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, it was announced that Kevin Lee would be fighting at a newly-implemented 165-pound weight class, and his promotional debut is expected to come on March 11.
Former one-time UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee has closed in on his next fight promotion, and it may surprise many. According to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, Lee, who was cut by the UFC earlier this month, is signing a multi-fight deal with Eagle FC, a promotion which is run by former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Outside of the fact that there are other well-known organizations that would have been best suited for Kevin Lee such as Bellator MMA, PFL, and ONE Championship, the irony in Lee signing with Eagle FC is he wanted to fight Nurmagomedov during their UFC tenures. Shortly after news of his release, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said the promotion was not interested in Lee, and while it was reported Tuesday that PFL made an offer for Lee, the lesser-known Eagle FC promotion has made the splash signing.
According to Helwani, Lee has secured a multi-fight deal with the promotion but his debut date and opponent are still to be determined. The report also adds that Eagle FC plans to hold as many as 10 events in the United States in 2022.
Kevin Lee has signed a multi-fight deal with Eagle FC, sources say. Debut date and opponent still TBD.
EFC is the promotion founded by Khabib Nurmagomedov that is planning to hold as many 10 events in America in 2022.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 15, 2021
During his UFC tenure, Kevin Lee spent time at both lightweight and welterweight, and following his release from the promotion, he told Helwani that he plans to fight at 170 pounds moving forward in his career. Back in 2017, Lee fought for the UFC interim lightweight title, but came up short to Tony Ferguson, and after a couple more fights, he tested the waters at welterweight. His run did not end on a high note with the UFC, as he exited the promotion with just one win in his last five fights between both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
Eagle FC will make their first stop in the United States with EFC 44: Spong vs Kharitonov, which will also feature former UFC fighters Ray Borg and Cody Gibson in a bantamweight contest, and the return of former UFC champion Renan Barao.
Eagle FC 44 will take place on Friday, January 28, 2022 in Miami, Florida with more fights expected to be announced in the coming weeks. There is no word if this will be the debut for Kevin Lee, but as it stands, “The Motown Phenom” has landed with Eagle FC for the stop in his fighting career.
