Disgruntled UFC veteran trashes company for Michael Chiesa sendoff

Kevin Lee is not happy about the sendoff Michael Chiesa got from the UFC in his final fight. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say Lee is unhappy about the sendoff he didn’t get in his final fight.

Lee competed in the UFC lightweight and welterweight division’s for many years. At his best, he picked up wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, and even battled Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight belt, though he came up short. Another highlight of Lee’s UFC run was a first-round submission win in a grudge match with Michael Chiesa. However, he has not fought for the promotion since he was wiped out by Rinat Fakhretdinov in less than a minute several years back.

Chiesa, meanwhile, has been with the UFC for years. On the main card of last Saturday’s event in Seattle, he retired following a submission win over Niko Price. It was a beautiful moment for him, as he is from the Seattle area, and had his friends and loved ones in the building to watch. The UFC also gave him a lot of love on the broadcast.

That all rubbed Lee the wrong way. He seems to feel he deserved a special sendoff of his own. He made his argument in a post on X.

Kevin Lee lashes out at UFC for Michael Chiesa sendoff

I beat Chiesa in his most high profile fight in the first round. He got a hero’s send off in the UFC, fought another retiring fighter in his hometown, mom wife everybody there to watch his life story.

My last fight in UFC was on the prelim of an Apex Card during Covid against…

— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) March 30, 2026

“I beat Chiesa in his most high profile fight in the first round,” Lee wrote. “He got a hero’s send off in the UFC, fought another retiring fighter in his hometown, mom, wife everybody there to watch his life story.

“My last fight in UFC was on the prelim of an Apex Card during Covid against an undefeated up and coming Russian. Chiesa tried to fight me in the locker room before the fight I didn’t say a word.

“Cold game fam.”

Needless to say, Lee is feeling a bit mistreated.

“The Motown Phenom” has fought twice since his latest UFC loss. First, he scored a first-round submission win over Thiago Oliveira at a local show not far from his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He then signed with the PFL, and was matched up with top contender Gadzhi Rabadanov. In that fight, he was battered to a first-round TKO loss.

Do you think Kevin Lee is making a fair point about the sendoff Michael Chiesa got from the UFC?