Kevin Lee elaborates on UFC Apex criticism: “We’re killing the sport for money”

UFC welterweight contender Kevin Lee believes the promotion needs to badly leave the Apex.

‘The Motown Phenom’ has been out of action since Eagle FC 46 last March. There, the former lightweight title challenger scored a unanimous decision win over Diego Sanchez, snapping a two-fight losing streak. While Kevin Lee exited the UFC in late 2021, that win over ‘The Nightmare’ was enough to bring him back.

However, it’s not exactly as joyous of an occasion as Kevin Lee had hoped. Earlier this week, the welterweight admitted that he wasn’t happy about returning to the UFC Apex. Since the pandemic in 2020, the promotion has held most cards at the nearly empty venue. At media day, Kevin Lee admitted that the Apex was a bit of a disappointing return destination, as he’s set to face Rinat Fakhretdinov on Saturday.

In a recent interview with Morning Kombat, Kevin Lee elaborated on those comments. There, he criticized the UFC for holding events at the fanless venue. In the interview, the welterweight noted that money is likely a factor in the company not leaving the Apex. However, with record-high profits, it’s hard to feel bad for the company.

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“That’s a good question,” Kevin Lee answered when asked why he was fighting at the UFC Apex on Saturday. “It ain’t even like, ‘Oh I don’t want to fight at the Apex’, it’s just, I don’t know why any of us are doing it. I mean, I guess it’s probably for the money, but it seems like the UFC is making plenty of money these days.”

He continued, “Part of the appeal of being a martial artist is traveling the world and fighting. It’s traveling and seeing, going on these experiences and you know, fighting over in Brazil. Fighting over in Ireland, fighting over in Japan, and doing these types of things. I just don’t want to get away from that, just for money.”

“It seems like we’re killing the sport for money, and that I’m not cool with.”

What do you make of these comments from Kevin Lee? Do you agree?