Kevin Lee: UFC Apex events in 2023 'kind of stupid'

Kevin Lee wants the UFC to say goodbye to Apex events.

The MMA promotion's small production facility in Las Vegas was a saving grace at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, as it gave Dana White and Co. a realistic way to continue operations behind closed doors at a time when large gatherings were not allowed.

Though COVID-19 restrictions are essentially a thing of the past, Apex events are not - in fact, they've become somewhat of the norm. The UFC still regularly holds Fight Night cards at the facility with a small number of people in attendance, a decision some fans have criticized because they prefer the atmosphere and overall experience that a traditional arena event provides.

Lee, the former lightweight contender who begins a second stint with the UFC on Saturday, is not happy his return fight is at the Apex. He went as far as to suggest the promotion should stop putting on events there altogether.

"I'm not going to lie, I wish it was," Lee told reporters Wednesday when asked if he wanted his fight to be at a larger venue, according to MMA Junkie. "I'm kind of - yeah, I wish it was in front of more fans. I don't know how many people are going to be at Apex. But it's kind of stupid.

"I don't know what we doing. The pandemic over. I don't know if people got the message, or if they sent the telegram. But the pandemic is over. I don't know what we still doing here. I get that there's money to be had, but it's kind of stupid."

The 30-year-old said "it's a different energy" competing in front of "thousands and thousands of people screaming." But, ultimately, he acknowledged he'll "make do" with what he has.

"I'm going to go out there on Saturday in front of the two or 300 rich-ass motherf-----s that want to see me bleed, and we going to get it in," Lee said.

The Detroit native was long touted as a potential future UFC champion. He impressed early on in his first run, going 9-2 in his first 11 Octagon bouts to reach an interim title bout against Tony Ferguson in 2017, which he lost by third-round submission.

From there, Lee won just two of six fights and dealt with weight management issues while flipping between lightweight and welterweight. The UFC released him after a loss to Daniel Rodriguez in August 2021. "The Motown Phenom" went 1-0 outside the promotion, defeating Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision in March 2022 before re-signing with the company in February.

Lee is scheduled to face Rinat Fakhretdinov in the featured preliminary bout of Saturday's event, which is headlined by Sean Strickland versus Abus Magomedov at middleweight.