Former UFC contender Kevin Lee books bareknuckle MMA debut for Gamebred FC

Ex-UFC contender Kevin Lee now has a second fight on the books in his return to combat sports.

It appears [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]’s return to fighting will be a busy one.

A former UFC lightweight contender and interim title challenger, Lee has booked a second fight for his return as he’s signed on for his bareknuckle MMA debut under the Gamebred FC banner – the fight promotion owned by Jorge Masvidal. Lee is scheduled to take on MMA veteran [autotag]Saul Almeida[/autotag] on Nov. 15 at the Mississippi Coast Colosseum in Biloxi, Miss.

The news was announced by Gamebred FC on Tuesday.

This is Lee’s second booking in as many weeks. Lee is already scheduled for a traditional MMA fight Sept. 28 at Lights Out Championship 17 in Wayne, Mich. He fights [autotag]Thiago Oliveira[/autotag].

Lee, 32, is returning to MMA competition for the first time since a July 2023 loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov. The appearance was Lee’s UFC comeback fight. He retired afterward but is now making a comeback to combat sports.

Lee fought 19 times for the UFC from 2014 to 2024. He compiled a record of 11-8 under the promotion. During that UFC run, Lee competed for an interim lightweight title in a pay-per-view headliner at UFC 216 in October 2017, losing to Tony Ferguson. He also picked up several notable wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Gregor Gillespie, Michael Chiesa, and others during his UFC tenure.

Lee’s Bareknuckle MMA opponent, Almeida, has a professional MMA record of 22-10. He’s fought under the Bellator and WSOF banners, and has shared the cage with many notables such as Calvin Kattar, Rob Font, and Goiti Yamauchi.

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Kevin Lee books first fight since UFC departure, homecoming for Lights Out Championship

The rebuild begins again for former UFC standout Kevin Lee, who has taken a regional fight in Michigan.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] is going back to his origins.

The Detroit-born Lee (19-8) will make his MMA return Sept. 28 at Lights Out Championship 17 at Hype Athletics Wayne in Wayne, Mich., promotion officials told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. The event streams on Spectation Sports, which also confirmed the bout to MMA Junkie.

This fight will be the first for Lee in Michigan since 2013.

Lee, 32, will take on [autotag]Thiago Oliveira[/autotag] (17-12-1) in a three-round welterweight bout. It will mark his first competition since a July 2023 loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov. The appearance was Lee’s UFC comeback, and he retired after the fight, although he later changed his mind.

It was also recently announced by Lee that he has signed with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA for a bareknuckle MMA fight Nov. 15 in Biloxi, Miss. An opponent has not yet been announced.

https://www.facebook.com/LightsOutChampionship/posts/pfbid0Jycy56cH8XPv4QGv9Dt6vx9jKY8RrudMfvn12zmLaaURrxRASo5L7sGGJzxXXPgdl

Lee competed 19 times for the UFC from 2014 to 2024. He compiled an 11-8 promotional record and competed for an interim lightweight title in a pay-per-view headliner at UFC 216 in October 2017.

Oliveira, 40, has competed all over the world during his 15-year professional MMA career. The bout will mark his third pro bout in 2024, a year in which he is currently 1-0-1.

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