Most MMA fans are familiar with former UFC Welterweight, Kevin Lee. ‘The Motown Phenom’ has had a roller-coaster career in the UFC. Lee recently announced his retirement following his latest UFC bout against Rinat Fakhretdinov.
Keith Lee (not to be confused with the professional wrestler of the same name) is the younger sibling of Kevin Lee. Just like his brother, he started off as a martial artist and is known for his time in the featherweight division of Bellator.
Kevin Lee announces retirement after losing in UFC comeback: ‘There’s more to life than fighting’ https://t.co/pAQd9PDdsI pic.twitter.com/vzAWrmqnMp
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 11, 2023
Keith Lee holds a record of 8-5-0. His last professional fight took place on September 4, 2022, at Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat 5. He lost to Jeremiah Labiano via split decision. The end of Keith ‘Killa’ Lee’s MMA journey was a step towards unexpected stardom.
Was Keith Lee any good inside the MMA cage?
Keith Lee started his MMA career in 2017 at TKO 37: Rivals, in a losing effort against Tony Laramie. Lee went on to compete in promotions like Brave CF and Global Legion FC before making his debut for Bellator. Lee went on a two-fight winning streak in Bellator before losing two back-to-back fights. He had 2 wins and 2 losses in Bellator, after which he was cut from the promotion.
His brother Kevin Lee had 11 wins and 8 losses in the UFC, with an overall record of 19-8-0. Kevin had one of the best highlight-reel finishes when he knocked out up-and-coming prospect Gregor Gillespie via a head-kick KO.
Keith Lee’s journey from MMA prospect to TikTok sensation
After his departure from Bellator, Keith Lee embarked on a journey to become a food critic on TikTok. His food reviews started to go viral on TikTok, and this was also acknowledged by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.
Keith Lee, Kevin Lee’s brother, and former Bellator fighter, explosion on the food social media scene is one of the best things I’ve seen in a while https://t.co/QFvMH1FZl2
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 10, 2023
Keith Lee has over 13.8 million followers on TikTok and 1.1 million followers on Instagram. He has collaborated with Jimmy Donaldson better known as Mr.Beast who is one of the biggest social media personalities of the modern era.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Keith Lee stated that the termination of his Bellator contract made him realize that he needed to go for a more stable career. He also stated that he started TikTok so that he could get more comfortable doing his MMA interviews.
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Following the success of his food reviews, he also started posting cooking videos, which were just as successful as his food reviews. Keith Lee. He was recently seen attending the Streamy Awards 2023 alongside his wife, Ronnie Lee.
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While Keith Lee is not as recognizable in the world of MMA compared to his brother Kevin Lee, he has carved out a separate lane for himself, where the younger generation knows him as Keith Lee, the TikTok sensation.