Keith Lee (food critic)

Last updated

Keith Lee
Keith Lee (53689550283) (cropped).jpg
Lee at the 2024 NFL draft
Born
Keith Lee

(1996-10-04) October 4, 1996 (age 28) [1]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
SpouseRonni Lee
Children2
Relatives Kevin Lee (brother)
Martial arts career
Residence Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division Bantamweight
Featherweight
Reach70+1⁄2 in (179 cm) [2]
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Team Xtreme Couture
Years active2017–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins8
By knockout3
By submission1
By decision4
Losses5
By submission1
By decision4
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
TikTok information
Page
Followers16.6 million
Likes773.7 million
Last updated: October 15, 2024

Keith Lee (born October 4, 1996) is an American social media personality, food critic, and mixed martial artist.

Contents

Mixed martial arts career

Lee’s mixed martial arts career turned professional in 2017. He fought under the nickname "Killa". [3] Lee made his Bellator debut in 2018 and at his promotional debut he picked up a decision over Shawn Bunch at Bellator 239. [4] [5] He lost his contract with Bellator in 2021, after which he began pursuing his social media food reviews more heavily, though as of January 2023 he still planned to continue his MMA career in a more limited capacity. [6]

Social media career

Keith Lee gained prominence as a Las Vegas based food taster on TikTok. Lee began using TikTok in November 2020, mainly posting cooking videos and family content. [5] He began posting restaurant reviews in 2021. Lee's videos follow a consistent formula, where he describes his experience ordering the food and rates each item on a scale from one to ten. [7] [6]

As of April 2024, he had 16.1 million followers and his food reviews have gained over 721.9 million likes. [8] [9] Lee says he began making TikToks to help combat his anxiety with public speaking. [10]

Lee has traveled to cities such as Atlanta, Houston and New York to review local restaurants, giving preference to Black-owned and family-owned restaurants. [8] [11] [12] He frequently has family members place takeout orders on his behalf in order to avoid preferential treatment from restaurant owners. [13]

In 2024, Lee selected Toronto as the first international stop of his food tour. He praised the cultural food diversity and customer service in the Canadian city. [14]

Lee was included on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list under the category Food & Drink because of his TikTok food reviews. [9]

Personal life

Lee has three siblings, including his brother, fellow mixed martial artist Kevin Lee. [15] [16] [17] Lee and his wife Ronni, who has been featured on Lee's TikTok account, have two daughters. [18]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
13 matches8 wins5 losses
By knockout30
By submission11
By decision44
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win8–5Jeremiah LabianoDecision (split)Urijah Faber's A1 Combat 5September 3, 202235:00 Sacramento, California, United States
Loss7–5Jornel LugoTechnical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Bellator 265 August 20, 202115:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Loss7–4 Raufeon Stots Decision (unanimous) Bellator 253 November 19, 202035:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win7–3Vinicius ZaniDecision (unanimous) Bellator 245 September 11, 202035:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win6–3 Shawn Bunch Decision (unanimous) Bellator 239 February 21, 202035:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win5–3Leonardo Alves CarvalhoSubmission (rear-naked choke)Global Legion FC 13December 13, 201922:37 Miramar, Florida, United States
Win4–3Chris JohnsonDecision (Unanimous)Final Fight Championship 38June 20, 201935:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss3–3Jeremy PacatiwDecision (split)Brave CF 14August 18, 201835:00 Tangier, Morocco
Loss3–2John SweeneyDecision (Split)864 Fighting Championship: Fight 3March 24, 201835:00 Greenville, South Carolina, United States
Win3–1Shawn MackTKO (punches)KnockOut Promotions 59December 16, 201714:09 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Win2–1Eric DaigneaultTKO (Retirement)TKO 40 - DenouementSeptember 8, 201715:00 Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, Canada
Win1–1Alex SlicerTKO (elbows and punches)TKO 39 - UltimatumJune 16, 201721:24 Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, Canada
Loss0–1Tony LaramieDecision (unanimous)TKO 37 - RivalsJanuary 13, 201735:00 Montreal, Canada

[1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Lima</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist

Douglas Lima is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. Lima and his younger brother, Dhiego, own and operate American Top Team - Team Lima in Duluth, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Chandler</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1986)

Michael Chandler Jr. is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 through 2020 where he became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and was the winner of the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. As of October 22, 2024, he is #7 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Lee</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1992)

Kevin Jeese Lee Jr. is an American professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighting in the Welterweight Division. He also formerly competed in the Lightweight and Super Lightweight divisions of the UFC and Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), respectively. In 2017 he fought for the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship.

Sabah Homasi is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, and Strikeforce.

Adam Piccolotti is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique Barzola</span> Peruvian mixed martial artist

Enrique Johnatan Barzola Acosta is a Peruvian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Professional Fighters League. He was the lightweight winner on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2 and he competed in both Bellator MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Leandro Higo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mads Burnell</span> Danish mixed martial artist

Mads Burnell is a Danish mixed martial artist who competes in featherweight division of Bellator MMA. Professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Burnell has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Cage Warriors, where he was a Featherweight champion. He was the European Championship European No-Gi Champion in 2014.

Henry Corrales, is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2011, he has also competed for King of the Cage, where he is the former Featherweight and Bantamweight Champion.

Raufeon Stots is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former Interim Bellator Bantamweight Champion. As a wrestler, he is a two-time NCAA Division II champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquin Buckley</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1994)

Joaquin Yuconri Buckley is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2014, he has also formerly competed for Bellator MMA and Legacy Fighting Alliance. As of October 8, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Hill (fighter)</span> Canadian mixed martial artist

Josh Hill is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Oktagon MMA. Hill competed for such promotions as Bellator MMA, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Real Xtreme Fighting (RXF), and TKO Major League MMA. Hill also appeared on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Johnny Eblen is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Middleweight Champion.

Chidi Godson Njokuani is an American mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer, who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, RFA, Tachi Palace Fights, and Legacy FC.

Danny Sabatello is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usman Nurmagomedov</span> Russian mixed martial arts fighter

Usman Magomednabiyevich Nurmagomedov is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Lightweight Champion. Nurmagomedov has previously competed in the UAE Warriors and Eagle Fighting Championship. He is the younger brother of UFC fighter Umar Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Lucas Brennan is an American mixed martial artist and jiujitsu practitioner. He is a five-time finalist in the Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu world championships and a two-time world champion. He was formerly with Bellator MMA, where he had his first 10 professional bouts.

Keith Richardson is an American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. He currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where he is a former BKFC Bantamweight Champion. A professional mixed martial arts competitor since 2009, he has fought in Bellator, the Legacy Fighting Alliance, and King of the Cage.

Oleg Sergeyevich Popov is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the MMA promotion the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in the heavyweight division. A professional mixed martial arts competitor since 2015, he has previously fought in AMC Fight Nights and Bellator MMA.

Dan Miragliotta is a professional mixed martial arts referee, judge and former actor from the United States best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 78. He was credited as one the best referees in MMA, as well as one of the most recognizable and active referees on the promotion in both 2022 and 2023. As of September 2024, Miragliotta has officiated 1,203 MMA fights.

References

  1. 1 2 Sherdog.com. "Keith "Killa" Lee MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Stats | ESPN". espn.com. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ Pandey, Pranav (May 25, 2023). "Keith Lee MMA record: Was the fighter-turned-TikTok star any good inside the cage?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Keith Lee Motivated By Fatherhood Ahead Of Bellator 245". Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews. MMA News. September 8, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Bandayrel, Rafael (August 24, 2021). "Who is Kevin Lee's brother, Keith Lee?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Damon (January 8, 2023). "10 out of 10: How Bellator veteran Keith Lee became one of the most influential food critics in the world". MMA Fighting. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Placido, Dani Di. "Who Is Keith Lee? The TikTok Foodie's Atlanta Drama, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Oyeniyi, Doyin (December 7, 2023). "TikTok Food Reviewer Keith Lee Made Houston Go Viral". Texas Monthly. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Keith Lee". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  10. ↑ Lindner, Emmett (November 1, 2023). "Atlanta's Dining Scene Feels 'the Keith Lee Effect'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ Patel, Shafaq (December 4, 2023). "The Keith Lee effect hits Houston". Axios.
  12. ↑ Dixon, Kristal; Nobles III, Wilborn P. (October 30, 2023). "Keith Lee's Atlanta reviews spark backlash, debate about restaurant scene". Axios.
  13. ↑ McCarthy, Amy; Saxena, Jaya (December 19, 2023). "The Many Causes and Effects of Keith Lee". Eater. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Alberga, Hannah (April 15, 2024). "Celebrity food critic Keith Lee blown away by Toronto visit". CTV News Toronto. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Keith Lee, Kevin Lee's brother, signs multi-fight Bellator deal, debut set". MMA Junkie. January 21, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Inspired by brother Kevin's success, Bellator 245's Keith Lee promises to make his own name". MMA Junkie. September 10, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Off Guard: Keith Lee eager to fight, says training with Firas Zahabi made a huge impact". MMA Junkie. November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  18. ↑ Zayna Allen (June 2, 2023). "Meet Ronni Lee, the Woman Behind TikTok Food Critic, Keith Lee". Yahoo.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.