Kevin Lee Claims He’s Making More In Eagle FC Than Some UFC Champs
Former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee made quite the admission ahead of his Eagle FC debut against Diego Sanchez.
Lee is slated to return to MMA at EFC 46 against Sanchez, in a matchup of two UFC castaways. Both fighters were let go by the promotion in 2021 after long but complicated tenures with the UFC.
Lee lost four of his last five fights with the promotion before parting ways. He was quickly picked up by Eagle FC at the lead of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But Lee isn’t only looking to prove the UFC doubters wrong, he’ll allegedly be making a lot of money doing so.
Kevin Lee Claims He’ll Out-Make Some UFC Champions
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Lee spoke about his tenure in the UFC and talked about his contract with Eagle FC.
“We know that the best fighters aren’t always in the UFC,” Lee said. “There are some guys out in Russia that will beat the f*ck out of you, so my competitiveness in me just drives me to be even better than them – and that’s just a never-ending process. It’s not like now I can chill, now I’m making a bunch of money, now I can go out there and just have fun. No – this is a fight. This is a fight for your life at the end of the day.
“People lose their life doing this type of sh*t, so the competitor in me is still up there and still driving. I’m making a bunch of money, though. That’s the part I’m not upset about. My contract will make more than most UFC champions see, so that part is kind of nice. But the competitor in me still thinks it’s the same game. … I’m going to make more than UFC champions in my first fight, so we’re having fun.”
Many fighters including Lee have weighed in on the fighter pay issue and more specifically, how athletes are treated for their extensive efforts. UFC stars like Francis Ngannou and Jorge Masvidal have been two of the most prominent critics of the UFC’s current pay model.
If Lee’s claims are true, then it’s quite alarming. This could fuel the fire behind the potential of a UFC fighter union happening in the future.
What is your reaction to Kevin Lee’s comments?
