Kevin Lee claims UFC released him to send Francis Ngannou a message - "They used me like a pawn"

Former interim UFC lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee feels the world's biggest MMA promotion used him as a pawn to send UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou a message in the process.

Lee was released from the UFC in November last year, while Ngannou is involved in an ongoing contract tussle with Dana White and his team. Both fighters are managed by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) employee Marquel Martin.

Martin was managing marketing partnerships in the UFC a while ago and White is currently not on good terms with him. The UFC president feels the CAA agent is behind Ngannou's reluctance to sign a new deal with the company.

During a recent conversation with MMA Junkie, 'The Motown Phenom' expressed his opinion on the UFC's business tactics.

“I know the back end and all the stuff that goes behind closed doors. They really showed me no respect towards the end. I feel like I ate a lot of the flak for Francis Ngannou in his situation with them. They used me like a pawn and a scapegoat. Really, I hope other fighters kind of see that. That’s what they do to you. They didn’t like the way negotiations was handled with Francis, so they took it out on me to kind of show [CAA] a lesson. I think in the end, we’re going to show that you can’t necessarily treat people like this, and there’s many other ways to make money and kind of outshine them," Lee said.

Watch Kevin Lee in conversation with combat sports reporter Danny Segura below:

---

Kevin Lee will take on Diego Sanchez in the main event of Eagle FC 46 in March this year

After leaving the UFC, Kevin Lee immediately signed a multi-fight contract with Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC. He will feature in the promotion's 165-pound super lightweight division.

Lee will be making his debut for Khabib's organization on March 11, 2022, at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida. He will main event Eagle FC 46 with fellow UFC Alumni Diego Sanchez.

Here's Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez facing off at the Eagle FC 46 pre-fight press conference:

Lee holds a 18-7 record in his professional mixed martial arts career so far and has fought in both the UFC lightweight and welterweight divisions, being a top contender in the former.

Meanwhile, Sanchez possesses a 30-13 record and has unsuccessfully challenged for the UFC lightweight championship against B.J. Penn at UFC 107.