Kevin Lee says 2019 Bernie Sanders speech cost him his standing with the UFC

Kevin Lee believes his MMA career was derailed not by losses in the cage but by a political speech he delivered in support of Bernie Sanders in 2019 — and he says the UFC’s deepening ties to Donald Trump make that clearer in hindsight.

Lee had just earned a performance bonus for stopping Gregor Gillespie when Sanders’ team reached out and asked him to speak at a campaign event. He accepted without payment, thinking Sanders would win the 2020 presidential election. “I thought he would be president,” Lee told Eric Cerminara in a recent interview.

“My career really started going south after that Gregor fight,” Lee said. “Because I decided to get political, shoutout to Bernie Sanders. And then I went and I spoke for Bernie Sanders at this convention or something. His people reached out to me, they were like, ‘Hey, you want to do a little speech?’ I was like, ‘Sure.’ No money, I just did it — felt like it was cool.”

Lee says the consequences were immediate and practical. He was booked to headline a UFC Fight Night against Charles Oliveira in Brasilia, Brazil, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold. He claims the UFC flew him to Brazil for a single media day two weeks before the fight, leaving him without food and without anyone to braid his hair. “Spent more time in the air than I did on the ground,” he said. “The whole relationship changed after doing that Bernie Sanders thing.”

Lee missed weight by 2.5 pounds for the Oliveira bout and lost by submission. He fought once more in the UFC before being released, then returned for a one-off appearance that ended in another submission defeat, this time against Rinat Fakkretdinov.

Reflecting on the UFC’s public alignment with Trump, Lee acknowledged the political cost of his choice — while also revealing a personal irony. “Seeing how much they’re in with Trump now, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, alright, I f—ed up,’” he said. “After that fight, Trump wanted to meet me backstage and I f—ing walked out. Which is crazy, because I voted for Trump the second time.”

Lee (20-9) announced his retirement from MMA in 2023 but returned to competition in 2024, winning on the regional circuit before losing to Gadzhi Rabadanov at PFL.