Kevin Lee won’t be stepping into the octagon any time soon.
Back in March at UFC Fight Night 170, the lightweight fought Charles Oliveira and came out on the losing end via submission. After regaining some momentum thanks to a knockout win against Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244, the 27-year-old took two steps back by suffering another loss; however, the most damaging aspect was Lee getting a knee injury that requires surgery.
“It used to mean being out a year,” Lee told ESPN. “They’ve gotten better with the technology and the (physical therapy), so it might even be sooner. I don’t know.”
Despite the possiblity of being ready to go before the end of 2020, Lee expressed his disappointment over his loss to Olivera in an interview shortly thereafter and the UFC fighter stated that he’s going to reevaluate his game plan and probably won’t return to the octagon for another few years or so:
“I think lightweight’s still my home,” he said. “I’ve just got to fine-tune some things. But I’m going to take a long time. I kind of rushed into this fight. It’ll probably be a good minute before you see me again. I think I’ve got to evaluate some things. I felt like my camp was great. My coaches told me all the right things to do. I abandoned it – it’s all on me on this one. So it’s going to be maybe a few years or so.”
Lee has struggled a bit in his last four fights, with the lightweight getting beaten by Al Iaquinta and Rafael dos Anjos, in addition to Olivera. His record currently stands at 18 wins and 6 losses.