Vaughan Lee has had a roller coaster of a UFC career. Alternating wins and losses in all 7 of his appearances, Lee’s 14-10-1 record only tells a small portion of his story in martial arts.

 

Upon closer inspection, Vaughan Lee has quietly racked up one of the most impressive list of opponents in the bantamweight division: fan favorites Brad Pickett and Nam Phan, Japanese legend Kid Yamamoto, top contenders Cris Cariaso and Raphael Assuncao and of course, current UFC Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.

 

Following the first true KO loss of his career in his last fight against Iuri Alcantara, the 32 year old native of Birmingham, England has found himself at a cross roads. Struggling to regain his hunger to fight, Vaughan Lee has embarked on a pilgrimage of sorts, training at a number of martial arts training facilities.

Enter Phuket Top Team where Lee has spent several months in Thailand honing his skills in the company of exceptional warriors the likes of Thiago Tavares, Ian Entwistle, Rob Lisita and Rany Saadeh.

 

A devout student of the game and avid fan of Bruce Lee, Vaughan Lee’s fighting style is an interesting mix of discipline and explosiveness.

 

With 15 of his fights ending in the first round, Lee follows in the footsteps of other fan favorites like Forrest Griffin or Chris Leben who need to “take a shot to wake up”. Win or lose, it makes for compelling spectacle, hence Lee’s longevity in the sport.

 

On the brink of his next fight at UFC Fight Night 72 in Scotland on July 18th, Vaughan Lee is adding yet anther twist to his legacy, by dropping down to the flyweight division. With champion Demetrious Johnson having virtually cleared out the division, the time is perfect for Vaughan Lee to reinvent himself and make a mark at this new weightclass.

Join us in the latest episode of the TrashTalkMMA podcast for a unique tour into the mind of one of Britain’s most underrated and compelling warriors, Vaughan Lee!

 

Editor’s Note: this interview was conducted prior to the announcement of Vaughan Lee’s upcoming fight versus Paddy Holohan on July 18th.

 

Vaughan Lee can be followed at the following links on social media:

 

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

Photos graciously provided in order by Abdul Khabir, Terence Yam and Scott Chalmers.