While Kevin Lee recently joined the PFL, he states his dealings with the GFL promotion are far from concluded.
Lee, a former interim UFC title contender, was expected to be a prominent figure in GFL`s planned launch this year. The new league had announced debut events for May 24 and 25, featuring numerous well-known MMA fighters such as Tony Ferguson, Anthony Pettis, Holly Holm, Urijah Faber, Benson Henderson, Paige VanZant, Sage Northcutt, and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, among others.
Although Lee wasn`t scheduled for those specific initial dates, his signing to the GFL roster was announced in December. Just six months later, he has moved to PFL and is getting ready to face Gadzhi Rabadanov at PFL 5 on June 20.
Speaking on SiriusXM, Lee claimed that GFL exploited athletes by making financial commitments they failed to honor. He revealed that he and his team are preparing to pursue legal action.
Over the past year or so, we were engaged in significant discussions with GFL. They presented themselves as the exciting new startup, poised to become the next major force in MMA. I truly supported their vision. The conversations were very positive, but ultimately, there was no follow-through… I`m limited in what I can discuss publicly because we are now pursuing legal action. I plan to sue them for defamation and extortion. My belief is that they leveraged fighters like myself, using our names to gain visibility and establish themselves as a significant player in the MMA promotion industry, but nothing ever materialized from it.
GFL founder Darren Owen attributed the event cancellations to a key investor`s failure to fulfill funding obligations, stating he still intends to launch the promotion eventually. Conversely, Alan Belcher, another fighter who signed with GFL, labeled the league a “scam.”
Lee now appears to be in a more stable situation as he gets ready to face Rabadanov. Rabadanov boasts an impressive 11-fight winning streak, undefeated since 2020. Lee is stepping in as a substitute for the injured Jay Jay Wilson. An upset victory against the reigning PFL lightweight tournament champion would propel Lee directly into the tournament finals with just a single win.
Asked if he views his upcoming fight as a chance to make a statement, Lee responded:
Absolutely, that`s precisely my focus. Nothing else matters to me right now. For the past six or seven months, my sole objective has been to return to fighting a top lightweight opponent, and Rabadanov fits that description… Some people consider the UFC the ultimate measure, believing only their fighters are the best. But this opponent is a truly elite competitor. So, when I step in there and defeat him on June 20, I will demonstrate that I remain one of the top lightweights globally. Many seem to have dismissed me. People either forget or simply write me off. I don`t know what they`re thinking, but it`s irrelevant to me. I see the doubts, and I hope they keep doubting me, keep dismissing me, keep ignoring me. I`m going to make a huge statement on June 20 when I go out there and decisively beat a lightweight who has consistently proven himself. By stopping him the way I know I can, I`ll show that I`m still among the premier lightweights, just as I was years ago.
