Morning Report | Kevin Lee plans to sue GFL over cancelled events: ‘They used guys like me’

Kevin Lee recently signed with the PFL, but his business with the GFL isn’t over as far as he’s concerned.

The one-time interim UFC title challenger was to be part of GFL’s big launch this year, with the upstart league having announced it would hold its first events on May 24 and May 25 with names like Tony Ferguson, Anthony Pettis, Holly Holm, Urijah Faber, Benson Henderson, Paige VanZant, Sage Northcutt, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, and a number of other notables from the MMA world scheduled to compete.

Though Lee was not one of the fighters set for those dates, he was announced as part of the GFL roster in December. Six months later, he is now with PFL and prepares to fight Gadzhi Rabadanov at PFL 5 on June 20.

Lee told SiriusXM that GFL exploited its fighters with financial promises it didn’t keep and that he and his team are going as far as to take legal action.

“These last maybe 12 months or so we were in pretty heavy talks with GFL,” Lee said. “They were supposed to be the new startup promotion. They were supposed to be the next big thing, and I got behind them pretty good. The talks were great, but there wasn’t no action behind it.

“I can’t speak too too much because on the situation, because now we’re going through legal and I’ll be suing them for some defamation, plus some extortion. I think that they used guys like me and used our name in order to get out there and be a major face of the MMA promotion business and nothing ever came from it.”

GFL founder Darren Owen claimed a primary investor failing to meet a funding commitment was the cause for the event cancellations and that he is still planning to launch his promotion in the future. However, another GFL signing, combat sports veteran Alan Belcher, called the league a “scam.”

Lee now finds himself on firmer ground as he prepares to fight Rabadanov, who is currently on an 11-fight win streak and hasn’t tasted defeat since 2020. He steps in as a replacement for an injured Jay Jay Wilson, and if he can upset the 2024 PFL lightweight tournament champion, he’ll slide right into the finals with just one win.

“That’s exactly what it is and that’s all I’m focused on,” Lee said when asked if he sees this as an opportunity to make a statement. “I’m not focused on nothing else but that. Even the last six, seven months, that’s all I’ve been focused on is getting back up there and competing against a top lightweight. And this guy is that.

“Some people think that the UFC is the be-all, end-all and those are the best fighters, but this guy’s a very, very top competitor. So once I go out there, and I beat him on June 20, I’m going to show that I’m still one of the best lightweights in the world. I feel a lot of people have written me off. A lot of people either forget or they just write me off. They think – I don’t know what they think, but it doesn’t really matter to me. I see people doubting me, I hope they continue to doubt me, I hope they continue to write me off, to not think about it, and I’m going to show them in a big way on June 20 when I go out there and stomp a lightweight that’s been proving himself again and again. Once I stop him in the way that I can, I’m going to show that I’m still one of the top lightweights, just like I was a few years ago.”

Roundtable. How interested are you in the UFC 316 main event?

Patience. Jon Jones claims he is on the same page as Tom Aspinall and the UFC when it comes to any potential fight announcement.

Farewell. Going forward, Aspinall is treating Jones as retired and treating himself as “the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”

Insecure. Kayla Harrison thinks Julianna Peña is projecting.

UFC 316 Embedded.

Back at it.

Cory might be getting too charismatic.

Oh, we’re still doing this?

RIP John Brenkus.

Severe MMA. Seán Sheehan and Graeme McDonnell look ahead to UFC 316, recap Cage Warriors event in Rome this past weekend, and more.

Thoughts and prayers to the family of Jordan Breen. One of the true originals of the MMA media space. The community is lesser without him.

Thrill of victory.

Agony of defeat.

A solution.

Powerful reference.

Soon.

Sound advice.

MarQuel Mederos (10-1) vs. Mark Choinski (8-0); UFC 316, June 7

Alex Perez (25-9) vs. Steve Erceg (12-4); UFC Vegas 109, Aug. 9

Rest in Peace, Jordan Breen. You were a pivotal part of my development as an MMA fan. You will be missed. — Jed

Jordan was there at the first-ever UFC event I reported on live, UFC 206. To say he made his presence felt in the media room doesn’t do him justice. Truly sad news. Take care of yourselves and each other. — AK

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