“Hey, my name is Keith.”
It’s a simple introduction, but one that’s proven effective for Bellator bantamweight fighter [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] as his career outside the cage has taken on an expected life of its own.
Lee, 24, whose claim to fame for so long was, “Kevin Lee’s brother,” has made a name for himself in the world of TikTok. In the midst of Bellator 265 fight week, Lee’s account currently sits at over 860,000 followers – and is increasing at a rapid rate.
When Lee created his TikTok account in November 2020 during recovery from an injury and staph infection, he wasn’t thinking anything would come from it. It was never his goal to become a social media influencer. So how did it happen, then? Well, it just came naturally. According to Lee, he didn’t change anything. He just acted like himself. The only thing different was that a camera was recording.
“It’s organic,” Lee told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It’s natural. … It is who I am. I just turned on a camera. I didn’t have a script. I don’t have a team working with me. It’s me and my wife and my sister. We literally sat around and I was like, ‘I’m going to start recording me cooking.’ … And they always believe in me. I have a really strong support system.”
@keith_lee125 Karter walking Vlog , I’ll stitch this when she’s fully walking 🚶🏾♂️
From instructional cooking videos to wholesome life experiences with his family to mental health awareness, Lee’s content has all revolved around one thing: positivity. During a period of time where MMA insults continue to get more personal, Lee thinks there’s a lesson to be learned when it comes to his success online. Positivity is something people buy into, it just needs to be presented to them in the right way.
“I know I have media day today,” Lee said. “Every single media outlet other than you is going to ask me to try and bad mouth my opponent. It’s been happening all week. It’s going to happen until I stop fighting. I already know how it goes. They want me to be the brash, mean guy and the second I come out and say something positive, it kind of goes to like, ‘Oh, OK, next question. Like, here you go, trying to be nice.’
“Again, I’m not trying to be nice. It’s just naturally who I am as a person and I just allow myself to be natural. I think that perspective comes across unique to other people and eventually, the people who aren’t on board yet are going to start to realize.”
In a day and age of TikTok and YouTube stars aspiring to test the waters in combat sports, Lee is the opposite. But the mesh of the two audiences is a powerful recipe – and Lee sits in a position to be that crossroads fighter. In fact, he almost participated in a recent bare-knuckle boxing event involving social media personalities.
@keith_lee125 Don’t be fooled by the label “Healthy” Read the labels and enjoy Yoursef. God bless you ✨ #foodtiktok
Regardless of whatever happens in his fighting career, Lee now has something to hold onto outside the cage. His merch has sold successfully and allowed him to pocket a nice sum of cash during periods of inactivity.
“We started our own merch company, literally out of my own house,” Lee said. “We just woke up one day and was like, ‘Let’s just start selling hoodies. And the hoodies are out. We’re on our third season and we sell out of each season in like a week. It’s like, a batch of 200-300 hoodies a week.”
Lee isn’t sure what his ceiling is in the world of social media, but he knows it’s high if there is one. As the 1 million follower countdown winds down. Lee hopes he can pair with Bellator to do more work in the TikTok sphere – but things still have to occur organically.
“I believe my tongue is very powerful,” Lee said. “I believe I will be a superstar. I truly believe I will be a superstar. I’m going to reach pinnacles that I never imagined of reaching. I’m going to reach heights that I’ve never imagined of reaching. People that are joining now and are watching me now are just early to the joint, early to the party. I think we’re going to take this big.”
Bellator 265 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
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