Levi Kitchen just won the 2026 Monster Energy SMX 250 Class World Championship. But the 25-year-old already has his eye on another competitive pursuit for whenever he decides to hang up his helmet.
Professional bass fishing.
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The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider is an avid angler who spends much of his downtime on the water. And while he’s got plenty left to accomplish on a dirt bike, Kitchen told OutKick OutDoors in an exclusive interview that he’d love to try his hand at tournament fishing someday.
Levi Kitchen is the 2026 Monster Energy SMX 250 Class World Champion. (Octopi Media / Kawasaki USA)
In fact, he’s already gotten a little taste of what that world looks like.
Earlier this year, Kitchen participated in the Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am, where he teamed up with professional angler Tristan McCormick. The two didn’t exactly dominate the leaderboard, but Kitchen came away with a few fish, a new friend and an even greater appreciation for the athletes who make their living chasing bass.
“It was amazing. Me and Tristan, we had a great time,” Kitchen said. “I didn’t know Tristan going into it. I’d just heard his name, but he’s a great dude.”
McCormick, who grew up near Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee, was already familiar with motocross thanks to the amateur racing held there. And Kitchen was pleased to discover that he could hold his own on the fishing side of things, too.
“He actually said I wasn’t like, you know, sometimes he gets people that go to those events and they say they can fish a little bit and they really don’t know what’s going on,” Kitchen recalled. “But I was proud to at least catch a few fish. We didn’t do great, but it was a blast.”
More importantly, the experience gave Kitchen a firsthand look at just how demanding professional bass fishing can be.
“It was an eye-opener, too,” he admitted. “I’ve always said, when I’m done racing, I want to give that a shot. I really do. But I have so much more respect for those guys. If I ever wanted to do that, I’d have to really buckle down. You have to put so much time, so much time into it.”
Angler Tristan McCormick and motocross and supercross racer Levi Kitchen attend the Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am weigh-in at Covenant Health Park on Mar. 12, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
And it’s not like Kitchen is a newcomer to fishing.
Growing up in Washington state, he developed a love for the outdoors thanks in part to his father. Around age 14 or 15, he discovered an old fly rod in his dad’s shop, started practicing casts in the yard and quickly fell in love with fly fishing.
Watch Levi Kitchen’s entire interview with OutKick OutDoors here:
These days, Kitchen lives in Florida, where bass fishing has become his primary obsession. But he still makes time to return home to Washington for an annual steelhead fishing trip with his father, friends and family — a tradition that has lasted roughly a decade.
“I still love it,” Kitchen said. “When the racing’s done down the road, you’ll probably find me on a river fly fishing a lot, or on a bass boat. Just maybe not Florida in the summertime.”
Fishing also provides a welcome contrast to the intensity of professional motocross.
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Kitchen said he and fellow rider Malcolm Stewart frequently talk about fishing in Florida, and he suspects the sport appeals to motocross athletes because it’s such a departure from their day jobs.
“We get to kind of calm down and be a little more present than when you’re just wide open on a dirt bike,” he explained.
But there’s still a competitive element, even when championship points aren’t on the line.
“It’s another way to be, I guess, kind of competitive with yourself,” Kitchen said. “You obviously don’t want to go out there and not catch a fish, but sometimes that happens.”
And as much as Kitchen enjoys catching fish, he also appreciates the atmosphere surrounding competitive bass fishing.
At the Bassmaster Classic Pro-Am, he found himself surrounded by athletes and celebrities from across the sports world, including NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Kitchen was particularly amused by Moss’ impressive collection of fishing boats.
“First, Randy Moss, I’m like, who’s this guy with two of the same specced-out, crazy sweet boats?” Kitchen recalled. “And they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s Randy.'”
He also noticed something that set the fishing crowd apart from what he’s accustomed to in motocross: Competitors were hanging out together at the hotel bar the night before the tournament.
“You do not see that in dirt bike racing,” he said. “They put their game face on when it’s time to fish, but just the whole event and weekend is pretty laid-back, which is kind of my style.”
Of course, Kitchen isn’t preparing to trade his Kawasaki for a bass boat just yet.
Levi Kitchen has big plans for 2027 season
The newly crowned 250 SMX World Champion, who helped end a seven-year championship drought for Pro Circuit Kawasaki, has made it clear that he wants a long career in motocross.
After recovering from a serious crash at Daytona in 2025, Kitchen said he’s learned the importance of racing smarter and protecting his longevity in the sport.
“I want to race for a lot more years to come,” he said.
And he’s certainly not satisfied with one championship. His goals for 2027 include winning both a Supercross and a Pro Motocross title before eventually moving up from the 250 class.
Levi Kitchen crosses the finish line at the 2026 Monster Energy SMX 250 Class World Championship in Ridgedale, Mo. (Octopi Media / Kawasaki USA)
So, no, Levi Kitchen isn’t walking away from moto anytime soon.
But when the day finally comes to hang up the helmet, don’t be surprised if The Chef trades his dirt bike for a bass boat.
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After all, it never hurts to have a backup plan. Especially when that plan involves doing something you already love.
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