Keith Lee (born October 4, 1996) is an American social media personality, food critic, and mixed martial artist.
Keith Lee | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Lee at the 2024 NFL draft | |
| Born | Keith Lee October 4, 1996[1] Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Spouse | Ronni Lee |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Kevin Lee (brother) |
| Martial arts career | |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight Featherweight |
| Reach | 70+1⁄2 in (179 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Team | Xtreme Couture |
| Years active | 2017–present (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 16.6 million |
| Likes | 773.7 million |
Last updated: October 15, 2024 | |
Mixed martial arts career
editLee’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
editKeith 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
editLee 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
edit| 13 matches | 8 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8–5 | Jeremiah Labiano | Decision (split) | Urijah Faber's A1 Combat 5 | September 3, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 7–5 | Jornel Lugo | Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Bellator 265 | August 20, 2021 | 1 | 5:00 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | |
| Loss | 7–4 | Raufeon Stots | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 253 | November 19, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 7–3 | Vinicius Zani | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 245 | September 11, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 6–3 | Shawn Bunch | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 239 | February 21, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 5–3 | Leonardo Alves Carvalho | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Global Legion FC 13 | December 13, 2019 | 2 | 2:37 | Miramar, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–3 | Chris Johnson | Decision (Unanimous) | Final Fight Championship 38 | June 20, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 3–3 | Jeremy Pacatiw | Decision (split) | Brave CF 14 | August 18, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Tangier, Morocco | |
| Loss | 3–2 | John Sweeney | Decision (Split) | 864 Fighting Championship: Fight 3 | March 24, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Shawn Mack | TKO (punches) | KnockOut Promotions 59 | December 16, 2017 | 1 | 4:09 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Eric Daigneault | TKO (Retirement) | TKO 40 - Denouement | September 8, 2017 | 1 | 5:00 | Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, Canada | |
| Win | 1–1 | Alex Slicer | TKO (elbows and punches) | TKO 39 - Ultimatum | June 16, 2017 | 2 | 1:24 | Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, Canada | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Tony Laramie | Decision (unanimous) | TKO 37 - Rivals | January 13, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Montreal, Canada |
References
edit- ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Keith "Killa" Lee MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Stats | ESPN". espn.com. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Keith Lee Motivated By Fatherhood Ahead Of Bellator 245". Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews. MMA News. September 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Bandayrel, Rafael (August 24, 2021). "Who is Kevin Lee's brother, Keith Lee?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Placido, Dani Di. "Who Is Keith Lee? The TikTok Foodie's Atlanta Drama, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Oyeniyi, Doyin (December 7, 2023). "TikTok Food Reviewer Keith Lee Made Houston Go Viral". Texas Monthly. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "Keith Lee". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Lindner, Emmett (November 1, 2023). "Atlanta's Dining Scene Feels 'the Keith Lee Effect'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Patel, Shafaq (December 4, 2023). "The Keith Lee effect hits Houston". Axios.
- ^ Dixon, Kristal; Nobles III, Wilborn P. (October 30, 2023). "Keith Lee's Atlanta reviews spark backlash, debate about restaurant scene". Axios.
- ^ McCarthy, Amy; Saxena, Jaya (December 19, 2023). "The Many Causes and Effects of Keith Lee". Eater. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Alberga, Hannah (April 15, 2024). "Celebrity food critic Keith Lee blown away by Toronto visit". CTV News Toronto. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Keith Lee, Kevin Lee's brother, signs multi-fight Bellator deal, debut set". MMA Junkie. January 21, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Zayna Allen (June 2, 2023). "Meet Ronni Lee, the Woman Behind TikTok Food Critic, Keith Lee". Yahoo.