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Kevin Lee actually was finished.
Regardless of just lately asserting his return from retirement simply six months after calling it a profession, the one-time UFC interim title challenger guarantees he didn’t make an emotional resolution when he determined to stroll away from MMA this previous July. In reality, Lee says he contemplated laying his gloves down within the cage after his loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov, however opted to take a while to ensure that was actually the most effective resolution for him.
It wasn’t till 10 days later that he confirmed his retirement from the game, and Lee actually did stroll away with the intention to by no means battle once more.
“I used to be fairly resolved [in that decision to retire],” Lee informed MMA Combating. “It actually began with that battle in Eagle [FC]. That’s after I first re-injured myself actually large and I spent like a 12 months, nearly a 12 months and a half attempting to battle again from that with out having a surgical procedure. Every day was simply tougher than the final. That was in all probability the hardest coaching camp, the hardest lead-up to a battle I had. Simply bodily my physique was getting damaged down.
“At that time, after I determined to retire, it wasn’t an emotional resolution. I actually thought of it the night time of the battle when the battle didn’t go my approach. I waited till that died all the way down to see if I’d really feel any completely different, and I didn’t. I nonetheless felt like I wanted to retire at the moment. I don’t remorse that call. I believe it was properly wanted.”
Lee spent the subsequent six months utterly indifferent from MMA.
He didn’t return to the health club, which was a really regular routine for him. Lee didn’t even rush into surgical procedure regardless of struggling one other torn ACL in his knee, an damage that plagued him a number of occasions all through his profession.
As a substitute, Lee started enthusiastic about new companies he might spend money on, which included constructing an actual property portfolio. However as a lot as he tried to overlook about preventing, he by no means might.
“After I say I spent six months away from MMA, I didn’t watch no fights, I didn’t step into the health club or something,” Lee mentioned. “I really feel like that was a great reset for me and it truthfully actually made me notice what I really like on this world is preventing. I might do different issues out right here, and I believed perhaps if I made cash doing one thing else that might sort of make preventing go away for me, and it didn’t. I used to be nonetheless enthusiastic about it, and the true motive I made a decision to retire was due to the accidents.
“The final two months, I’ve actually been considering [a comeback]. Actually, the ultimate straw for me, I spoke with my mother — I had a dialog along with her and she or he mentioned one thing to me that actually woke me up. She mentioned, ‘The smile in your soul is gone.’ It made me actually notice that it’s time for me, I’ve obtained to return again. There’s nothing that I really like extra on this world than preventing, and as a lot as I attempted to separate myself from it within the final six months, for some motive it simply retains pulling me again.”
Lee introduced his plans to battle once more on the ultimate day of January, nevertheless it seems his return to motion received’t occur anytime quickly.
As a result of he suffered one other torn ACL in his knee, Lee needed to endure surgical procedure to restore the injury finished, so he’s nonetheless rehabilitating and recovering from that damage. That doubtless places his subsequent battle someday in direction of the tip of 2024, however he needed to make himself accountable to do the work that it’ll take to compete once more.
Lee admits he nonetheless frets about struggling one other severe damage, however that’s a threat he’s prepared to take to battle once more.
“I re-tore my ACL, so I had surgical procedure Sept. 12,” Lee revealed. “Proper now, I’m about 4 months out from the surgical procedure date. I’m getting stronger. Even throughout my retirement, I stayed in slightly little bit of bodily remedy. Nothing main or nothing loopy, however I’m getting stronger.
“Despite the fact that I’m afraid — even now as I sit right here, I’m nonetheless afraid to get damage once more — however I’m prepared to roll these cube if that’s what God calls me to do. The announcement was extra for myself and for different folks to know that I’m throwing my hat again within the ring, however that don’t essentially imply that I’m going to take a battle in two months or three months. It’s going to be slightly little bit of a warming up course of to get again in there.”
Lee guarantees there was numerous time and thought put into his resolution to return once more, simply as he made certain to let his feelings relax earlier than asserting his retirement.
He’s going to place all the things into this comeback and needs to go away the game with no regrets this time round.
“After I mentioned I used to be retired, I actually meant that,” Lee mentioned. “Now that I say I’m not [retired], I actually imply that. It adjustments my entire way of life after I say these items.
“I don’t wish to get to 40 years previous and being like, ‘Rattling, if I had solely actually tried. If solely I [hadn’t] actually gotten sucked up into ingesting an excessive amount of and smoking weed and doing all these items and never letting the cash get to my head. If I had not finished that half, what might I’ve been?’ That’s the purpose the place I’m at proper now. What can I do? I believe if I actually, actually focus in and buckle down on this factor, I may very well be a severe world champion.”
Logistically, Lee is aware of he’s nonetheless months away from preventing, and that features the required six months of drug testing required to return to the UFC. As a result of he retired, Lee dropped out of the UFC’s anti-doping program, and he expects to get again into the testing pool within the close to future. However proper now he’s nonetheless recovering from knee surgical procedure, so he has time to spare.
“That’s one thing that we’re going to sort of clear up in perhaps March or April,” Lee mentioned. “Proper now it’s simply going to be about getting wholesome and getting in actually, completely improbable form, the most effective form of my life, after which we’ll make selections on signing contracts and precisely what we now have to do logistically to step again into the cage.
“This isn’t one thing that’s going to be a two month, three month factor. It’s going to be one other six months or so earlier than you really see me step again into the cage.”
Lee additionally declared that he plans to return at 155 kilos, which is the place he spent nearly all of his profession, but in addition started draining him an increasing number of as he went by way of extreme weight cuts. Wanting again now, Lee takes accountability for a number of the issues he confronted getting all the way down to light-weight, however he’s guaranteeing no corners get lower this time round.
“At light-weight I’m for certain one of many prime 5 on the planet, and I really feel I can compete towards anyone and I could make the load,” Lee mentioned. “With the proper preparation, I could make the load.”
At 31, Lee is definitely within the prime of his athletic profession regardless that he already has 27 fights on his résumé. He’s not trying to soar again into the fireplace on day one, and if he’s required to make a sluggish climb again up the ladder, then that’s precisely what he’ll do.
Lee is simply able to get again to work.
“Now’s the time,” Lee mentioned. “Now’s the time for me to essentially seize it, particularly if I’m nonetheless chasing a world championship. Now’s the time.”
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