Kevin Lee announces he’s ending his MMA retirement: “I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now”

Kevin Lee will be ending his retirement from MMA.

Lee announced his retirement back in July, in a move that surprised many. The 3o-year-old took to Instagram where he revealed that injuries played a massive role in why he decided to step away from MMA.

“I’m deciding to retire from MMA and the UFC. It’s been 12 years, 12 long years of me being the best fighter that I can be and a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication for me to try to be the best fighter in the world,” Kevin Lee wrote on Instagram. “When I look back on it, I had a hell of a career. I fought a lot of tough guys and some of the toughest guys in the world. I’ve always put up a great fight. I never backed down, and I always challenged myself to do things that I didn’t think I was capable of doing. The last three years have been rough, especially on my body.

“It’s been a lot of injuries and honestly, that’s one of the main factors of me making this decision. I’m in need of another surgery after that last fight,” Lee continued. “I’m proud that I went out on my shield, I’m proud that I stood up in there and went out on my own terms.

Now, six months after announcing his retirement, Lee took to ‘X’ on Wednesday evening and said he’s ending his retirement, but isn’t sure when he will fight again, or who it will be against.

I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. Idk when, where, or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now.

— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) January 31, 2024

“I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll fight MMA again. Idk when, where, or who yet but I’m dropping weight and getting into shape now,” Lee wrote.

As of right now, it’s uncertain if Lee is still under contract with the UFC, or if he is a free agent. If he is still is under contract, it remains to be seen if the UFC would bring him back.

Kevin Lee is currently 19-8 as a pro and coming off a 55-second submission loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov back in July. Before that, he beat Diego Sanchez by decision in his lone fight in Eagle FC after he was released from the promotion. Lee went 11-8 in the UFC and picked up notable wins over Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa, and Gregor Gillespie among others.