A former UFC star’s PFL debut didn’t go to plan after he was stopped in devastating fashion.
After suffering a loss on his return to the Octagon in 2023, Kevin Lee looked to start fresh in a new promotion.
Lee signed to the PFL following a rough run of results, having once been considered to be one of the top lightweights on the UFC roster.
From the moment that his PFL debut was announced, fans knew it would be an incredibly uphill battle for ‘The Motown Phenom’.
Lee was tasked with facing Gadzhi Rabadanov after the Russian’s original opponent for the PFL World Tournament semifinal, Jay-Jau Wilson, withdrew.
Fans call for Kevin Lee to retire at 32 years old after being stopped in his PFL debut
Kevin Lee came into his PFL debut as a huge underdog and for good reason.
Though he had won two fights outside of the Octagon, the former interim title challenger had failed to recapture the momentum that he once had having previously won five in a row in the UFC.
Gadzhi Rabadanov, on the other hand, has been on a tear with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate not losing a fight since December of 2020.
Since then, the Russian has won the PFL 2024 lightweight tournament before kickstarting his campaign with a win over Marc Diakiese.
In the opening round of their contest, Rabadanov let his hands go while Lee was backed up against the fence, dropping him with a right hand for the faceplant knockout.
In the reactions to the highlight reel finish, fans pleaded for Lee to call time on his career at 32 years old, along with being critical of the matchup.
‘Kevin Lee should retire. He got f—– in the UFC by journeymen, now in a lesser skilled organization he gets stopped in the first round. Yeah, find a new job.’
‘Shame on you PFL for feeding Kevin Lee to a guy on a 11 fight win streak on a 3 fight KO streak prior to fighting Lee.’
‘How is he this washed at 32 it’s just sad’
‘He needs to retire’
‘UFC made right decision letting him go’
‘Kevin please just become a personal trainer’
Kevin Lee was on the brink of becoming a UFC star in 2017
After putting together a five-fight win streak inside the Octagon, Kevin Lee was becoming a major star in the UFC’s lightweight division.
His heated clash with Michael Chiesa, which he won via a first-round submission, propelled the American into an interim title fight with Tony Ferguson.
Even after losing that fight, ‘The Motown Phenom’ rebounded with a big win over Edson Barboza but from here, his initial run with the UFC saw a downturn in form.
| Opponents after Edson Barboza | Event | Result |
| Al Iaquinta | UFC on Fox 31 | Unanimous Decision Loss |
| Rafael dos Anjos | UFC on ESPN+ 10 | Submission Loss |
| Gregor Gillespie | UFC 244 | Knockout Win |
| Charles Oliveira | UFC on ESPN+ 28 | Submission Loss |
| Daniel Rodriguez | UFC Vegas 35 | Unanimous Decision Loss |
Facing Gadzhi Rabadanov was always going to be a huge challenge for Lee at this stage in his career.
If he is going to continue fighting with the PFL, the promotion can’t be matching him with the top lightweights on the roster, at least for the time being.