UFC veteran Kevin Lee announces lawsuits against former promoter ahead of PFL debut

Former UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee is taking serious legal action against one of the recent MMA promotions he signed with.

Lee (20-8) entered the MMA limelight in 2014, when he signed with the UFC. He was defeated by Al Iaquinta in his first fight in the Octagon, but then went 9-1 in 10 fights to set up an interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson. Lee got off to a strong start in his fight with Ferguson, but ultimately fell apart, becoming part of the lightweight legend’s famous 12-fight win-streak.

Lee was hot and cold after coming up short in his lone UFC title bid. He went 2-3 in his next five fights at lightweight, which prompted a move up to the welterweight division. He lost his first fight in the weight class, suffering a decision defeat against Daniel Rodriguez. Lee then briefly parted ways with the UFC.

After a win over Diego Sanchez under the Eagle FC banner, he returned to the Octagon. In his first fight back, he was submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov in less than a minute. Lee then left the promotion again, and after a first-round submission of Thiago Oliveira on the regional scene, signed with upstart promotion GFL (Global Fight League).

Kevin Lee is suing the GFL for defamation and extortion.

“They used guys like me and used our name in order to get out there and be a major face of the MMA promotion business and nothing ever came from it.” pic.twitter.com/h8ZPbI9hyv

— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) June 2, 2025

Why is UFC vet Kevin Lee suing GFL?

Lee was one of dozens of MMA notables to sign with the GFL. He joined stars like Tyron Woodley, Paige Van Zant, Junior dos Santos, Sage Northcutt, and Fabricio Werdum on the roster. According to respected MMA reporter Alex Behunin, he was promised an amount in the high six figures and possibly even seven figures by the newbie promotion.

Then the GFL completely imploded, in a display of amateurish and shockingly dishonest business practices. That left all of the fighters who signed with the promotion scrambling to find new ways to make money.

Lee was lucky. He quickly signed a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and despite a very tough debut matchup, will presumably be taken care of by the promotion.

Despite landing on his feet, he intends to sue the GFL for numerous offences. That includes defamation and extortion, he claims.

“These last maybe 12 months we were in pretty heavy talks with GFL,” the UFC veteran told RJ Clifford. “They were supposed to be the new startup promotion. They were supposed to be the next big thing, and I got behind them pretty good.

“The talks were great, but there wasn’t no action behind it,” he added. “I can’t speak too, too much on the situation because now we’re going through legal.

“I’ll be suing them for some defamation, for some extortion. I think they used guys like me to get out there and be a major face of the MMA promotion business. Nothing ever came from it.”

What do you think will come of the lawsuits Kevin Lee is plotting against the GFL?