It’s been a long road and a long time coming, but Becker’s own Bobby Lee has finally earned the title of World Champion after his dominating performance over Canada’s Mike Hill in the battle for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) Welterweight Title in Mississippi on Sept. 18. 

The fight was great exposure for Lee as he pursues his dream of landing a bout in the UFC, the premiere MMA league that brings much higher monetary paydays for its participants.

Lee’s CFFC opponent was extremely formidable, as Hill had in the past been featured on the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter and had many international fights on his resumè.  Hill was also a bit of a surprise as an opponent, as Lee was supposed to face a different fighter who had then dropped out because he was negotiating with the UFC.

“My coach and my manager had some ideas for me (in facing Hill), but when it comes to game plans for fighting it’s as simple as hit the other guy and don’t get hit yourself,” said Lee, who says he tries to keep his game plan simple. 

“Going in I thought there would be more striking, but I was able to take him down so I just reacted in the moment.”

Another interesting component of his title fight was that Hill had also fought as heavy as 185 pounds in the past, while Lee is normally a lightweight at 155 pounds. That left the two competitors with drastically different paths to take in getting to the 170 pound limit for the title match. For once, Lee didn’t have to cut any weight and his performance showed he was the stronger fighter. 

“Inside of the first 10 seconds of the fight, I landed the first signifiant strike,” said Lee, who saw his professional MMA record improve to 12-4 with the title belt win. 

“I was in control of every round and won probably 19.5 of the 20 minutes total in the fight.”

Lee’s fight was featured on the UFC Fight Pass, a pay per view channel dedicated to the best MMA fights in the world. 

Lee’s win puts him in a favorable position to draw a fight in the premiere league, as his resumè also includes a record nine appearances in the LFA, considered the best feeder league in the world for the UFC.  The CFFC is also on the same level in terms of competition between elite fighters and its World Championship title matches are sanctioned by the Association of Boxing Commissions, an official governing body for MMA.

“I’ve already announced that I am ready to fight again in 2020,” said Lee, who is coached by MMA legend Brock Larson of the Start BJJ gym in St. Cloud.  “I’ve been getting some name recognition from the guys at UFC that could make that happen.”

In addition to his work with Larson, Lee also trains at The Cellar, a kickboxing club in St. Anthony.  It’s where he also makes ends meet by coaching kickboxing lessons to aspiring athletes.  It also allows him the chance to hone his skills in the sport, as Lee considers himself a MMA fighter first and wrestler second.

“My MMA game is extremely well rounded,” said Lee, who notes that he didn’t wrestle in college so is sometimes at a disadvantage in that area of the fight.  “My coach Chris is the TEAM USA kickboxing coach and my conditioning guy is really good so I have a solid team.”

Lee’s CFFC title match was one that almost didn’t happen, as a serious of unfortunate events nearly wiped out his 2020 competitions.

“I was scheduled for a Bellator fight in February, but my opponent dropped out because he had visa issues,” said Lee, who recently earned his brown belt in Jiujitsu. 

“I was hoping for another fight and then COVID hit.”

It left Lee’s future in limbo, as he had to find ways to continue to train while facing an uncertain future.  When the CFFC opportunity came up, he jumped at the chance to