Kevin Lee signs multi-fight deal with the UFC

Kevin Lee is back in the UFC.

Lee told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that he has inked a multi-fight deal with the UFC. He later confirmed the news via text message to BJPENN.com and confirmed he will be competing at welterweight, with his return fight not booked as of now.

“I met with [president] Dana White and [chief business officer] Hunter Campbell, and I feel like I’m going back home,” Lee told ESPN in a statement. “I’m grateful for them welcoming me back and looking forward to the next chapter of my career.”

Kevin Lee was released from the UFC last year after losing to Daniel Rodriguez. At the time of the release, he told BJPENN.com he thought his release was due to the fact he had the same manager as Francis Ngannou at the time but has since signed with Ali Abdelaziz to represent him.

“That was the number one factor, I don’t even think that is a secret at this point. It was a way to send him and my management a message to say, okay we will do this to your guy, we can do the same s**t to you even if you are the champion,” Lee said to Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “They were trying to get the contract done before the fight. I will forever be tied into that Ngannou situation at this point, but I still stand by him in making the most amount of money possible.”

Kevin Lee (19-7) had one fight outside the UFC as he beat Diego Sanchez in his Eagle FC debut. Prior to that, he lost back-to-back fights to Daniel Rodriguez by decision and was submitted by Charles Oliveira. Lee had gone 3-5 in his last eight UFC fights while once competing for the UFC’s interim lightweight title.

Are you surprised Kevin Lee has re-signed with the UFC?