UFC lightweight Kevin Lee has issued an apology for his unprofessional weight cut in the lead-up to UFC Brasilia last week.
Lee was beaten in the main event down in Brazil on Saturday night, suffering a third round submission loss at the hands of Charles Oliveira who took his win streak in the Ultimate Fighting Championship up to seven.
Lee missed weight the day prior to the fight, coming in at 158.5 lbs which was 2.5 lbs over the 156 lbs limit for the fight.
.@MoTownPhenom apologizes for how things transpired during #UFCBrasilia fight week.
"It was very unprofessional on my part, I could have approached it a whole lot better."
Watch full video: https://t.co/IB4EMv1WCS pic.twitter.com/8XJ1bnLCpY
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 16, 2020
During his post-fight media obligations, Kevin Lee was open and honest about missing the mark (video via MMA Fighting):
“So many things were bouncing and moving — it was very unprofessional on my part, I will say that,” Lee said. “I could’ve approached it a whole lot better. Coming down here all the way to Brazil, on not necessarily short notice, but I maybe should’ve given myself more time to prepare for this fight.
“Honestly, it was just the time, the time killed me. I was unprepared for it. I didn’t bring a dietician down, I thought the UFC was gonna cover that a little bit more, they did in my last fight. It was more unprofessional on my part. I can’t do nothing but apologize and blame myself, and I think the way the weight cut went kind of carried over into the fight. It definitely didn’t help.”
This served as the second time in Lee’s UFC career that he had missed weight and the fourth time in his professional mixed martial arts career as a whole.
Many questions will now be raised as to whether or not Lee still belongs at lightweight, with some suggesting that welterweight is the natural next step for him. Alas, the man himself has already stated that when he does eventually return, lightweight is still going to be his home.
What do you think the future holds for Kevin Lee after UFC Brasilia?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/16/2020.