Despite Struggles, Reeling Kevin Lee Commits to UFC Welterweight Division

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Kevin Lee’s Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight debut didn’t go as planned last Saturday night as the former lightweight took on Rafael dos Anjos, losing by submission in the fourth round.

Lee had moved up from the 155-pound division, citing the tough weight cut as the main reason and many believed the welterweight division would benefit “The Motown Phenom,” especially relating to his well-documented cardio-issues.

It wasn’t the case as history repeated itself and Lee became increasingly sluggish the longer the fight went on and “RDA” capitalised by dragging his opponent into the fourth round before taking the fight to the floor and submitting him.

Lee confirmed on his Instagram account that he would remain at welterweight and that his mental coach is working with him to overcome his Octagon struggles:

View this post on Instagram

Im honestly in a good place for everyone asking for an update. My goals have never been clearer and my hunger hasnt gone anywhere. A quick 30 minute convo with @vinnyshoreman, top mental coach in the game, only confirmed what I already know. There’s no doubt. I will be World Champion. This shit ain’t gonna be easy at all but it’ll be worth it

A post shared by Kevin Lee (@motownphenom) on May 22, 2019 at 2:17pm PDT