PHOENIX – Andrea Lee won her UFC debut in 2018, but suffice to say it was a year to forget for “KGB.”
2019, however, is off on the right track.
Lee returned to the octagon for the first time in nine months Sunday night, claiming a unanimous-decision win over Ashlee Evans-Smith at UFC on ESPN 1 from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. The victory – and the fact that the fight happened – was just what Lee needed following a 2018 filled with turmoil both personally and professionally.
Shortly after her UFC debut win in May, Lee found herself at the center of a social media firestorm when Nazi tattoos on her husband, Donny Aaron, came to light in a picture. Just a few months later in August, Lee was the victim of an alleged domestic assault by Aaron, who remains on the run from authorities.
After the alleged attack, Lee was set on returning to the octagon sooner rather than later. She was booked vs. Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC on FOX 31 in December, but the fight fell through on weigh-in day after Clark was forced to withdraw following a bad weight cut.
So, yeah., to finally come back at UFC on ESPN 1 and win, it feels good. Damn good, even.
“It really does,” Lee said during a post-fight scrum. “It’s crazy how 2018 was. It wasn’t a great year, but I ended up winning my fight, my debut in the UFC against Veronica Macedo. And then going into 2019 I got to win my debut on ESPN. So, through those ups and downs, I feel like I’m coming out on top.”
To hear Lee recap the fight, discuss where she stands in the UFC women’s flyweight pecking order, as well as switching camps, and more, watch the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Eventssection of the site.
