Kevin Lee warns Jake Shields against blind acceptance of Andrew Tate's views following character endorsement
Jake Shields has always been a supporter of the Tate brothers but upset some people by defending all of their actions. That included Kevin Lee, who warned Shields about taking everything the controversial influencers say and do "at face value."
Shields posted on X that the human trafficking charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate were "completely fabricated" while calling the brothers "good money with young daughters who need them":
"Both Andrew and Tristan Tate are good money with young daughters who need them All the charges against them are completely fabricated Almost all the alleged victims have come forward and said they are not victims You certainly can argue the ethics of running a webcam business but it is not illegal"
Lee rejected all of Shields' claims, saying that the only statement he agreed with was that the brothers' respective daughters were supported by their money. He condemned Shields for justifying the Tate's webcam business, saying that, as a father of multiple daughters, it was unethical to target a young woman.
Lee responded on X:
"No they aren’t. Cmon Jake don’t take everything Andrew say at face value. If I was to come in and convince his daughter to sell herself online and promise her the world I would be wrong. Why is alright for him to do it to other people’s daughters but not his own? Only thing you said that’s true is that they are 'good money' for their young daughters let’s be real"
Shields posted his thoughts just as a new development in the Tate brothers' human trafficking arose, putting Andrew Tate back under house arrest. Romanian officials reportedly received a new lead causing suspicion of the Tate brothers potentially trafficking minors.
Kevin Lee targets return to the UFC
Kevin Lee has fought just twice in the last two years and only once in the UFC but is targeting a return back to the top of the promotion's lightweight division.
As a part of his social media resurgence, Lee has made it known that he believes he is still one of the "best 155-pound fighters in the world" and aims to prove that.
Lee has not fought since July 2023 against Rinat Fakhretdinov at welterweight, losing by submission in just 55 seconds. 'The Motown Phenom' has not fought at lightweight since headlining UFC Fight Night 170 against Charles Oliveira in March 2020. Lee lost the fight by submission in the first UFC event held without fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After his loss to Fakhretdinov, Lee announced his retirement but rescinded the sentiment roughly one year later. He is presumably still under contract with the UFC and despite challenging for the interim title in 2017 is still just 31 years old.