PFL News & FeaturesKevin Lee Two Wins Away from Fulfilling Title Aspirations of Late Coach Robert Follis
All set for his SmartCage debut with the
Professional Fighters League, former
Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Kevin Lee is
bringing his life and career journey with him.
Lee has entered the PFL Semifinal Lightweight World Tournament, taking on 2024 PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov in his first fight at 155 pounds in five years. Lee feels ready to achieve a lifelong career dream that he has yet to achieve: become world champion.
Talking to the assembled press on media day, Lee was overcome with
emotion, discussing how he’s not going to stop chasing his dream of
becoming a champ and remembering his late coach Robert Follis. Back
in 2017, Lee challenged Tony
Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight title and came up
short, which was then followed by the heartbreaking tragedy of his
coach, who took his own life. Looking back at the memory of Follis,
Lee said he has yet to lay his gloves down in the SmartCage, and
because he hasn’t, he will continue to fight until he becomes world
champion.
A win over Rabadanov would put Lee into the PFL World Tournament Lightweight Championship, and would also get him just one win away from achieving gold. The more intriguing step in this journey for Lee is the pursuit of gold does not stop with a tournament title, as he’ll likely have an opportunity to parlay that into a PFL world title fight at a later time.
Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, June 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+
Lee is ready to begin a new chapter of his life and doing so with a heavy heart to fulfill a goal of not only his own, but a coach who always believed in him. As he has found his mature self as a father, man and fighter, Lee has never been more prepared to make a statement, and capture a world title in the process.
Lee has entered the PFL Semifinal Lightweight World Tournament, taking on 2024 PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov in his first fight at 155 pounds in five years. Lee feels ready to achieve a lifelong career dream that he has yet to achieve: become world champion.
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A win over Rabadanov would put Lee into the PFL World Tournament Lightweight Championship, and would also get him just one win away from achieving gold. The more intriguing step in this journey for Lee is the pursuit of gold does not stop with a tournament title, as he’ll likely have an opportunity to parlay that into a PFL world title fight at a later time.
Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, June 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+
Lee is ready to begin a new chapter of his life and doing so with a heavy heart to fulfill a goal of not only his own, but a coach who always believed in him. As he has found his mature self as a father, man and fighter, Lee has never been more prepared to make a statement, and capture a world title in the process.
. @MoTownPhenom’s motivations heading into Friday Night are bigger than fighting 👊🙏
— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 18, 2025
“The Motown Phenom” makes his PFL debut on Friday against 2024 PFL Lightweight World Champion Gadzhi Rabadanov in a 2025 PFL World Tournament Semifinal
[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday, June… pic.twitter.com/qLF38ZyFWp
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