Former UFC title challenger speaks out after sparring KO goes viral

Ex-UFC star Kevin Lee puts out a statement following a sparring session gone wrong.

Sarah Stier-Imagn Images

Former UFC title challenger Kevin Lee was baffled to see sparring footage of him getting knocked out pop up online.

"The Motown Phenom" Gets Dropped During Sparring Session

What happens in the gym stays in the gym, but unfortunately for Lee, an exchange-gone-wrong at Kill Cliff FC followed him home for all to see.

Kevin Lee lands a kick against Rafael dos Anjos. / JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

When attempting to time a jumping knee, the UFC veteran was laid out by a huge overhand right. Lee stood up right away, trying to shake it off.

Kevin Lee got SMOKED in sparring 😳pic.twitter.com/yxxkYfTmRg

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 5, 2025

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The fighter who rocked Lee turned out to be Mirali Huseynov - a 9-3 welterweight from Azerbaijan.

Lee Speaks On Viral Video

Let's just say Lee wasn't happy when the video made the rounds on social media, the feat all the more impressive for Huseynov considering the fact that Lee's been knocked out only once in his 28-fight career.

Kevin Lee fights Gregor Gillespie during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. / Sarah Stier-Imagn Images

"Idk who posted that video or why but I’m heading right now to find out," Lee wrote on X. "I can only blame myself for showing mercy and pulling my knee back but it’s training so I thought let me not blast him. I see I shouldn’t have been playing around with a guy like that. Since mfs wanna start showing sparring imma start showing sparrings from now on."

Idk who posted that video or why but I’m heading right now to find out. I can only blame myself for showing mercy and pulling my knee back but it’s training so I thought let me not blast him. I see I shouldn’t have been playing around with a guy like that. Since mfs wanna start…

— Kevin Lee MTP (@MoTownPhenom) February 5, 2025

We'll see how that plays out for Kevin Lee in the sparring room. "The Motown Phenom" has two wins post-UFC, defeating Diego Sanchez and Thiago Oliveira last September. Lee is currently signed to the GFL, where he could fight the likes of Dillon Danis, Tony Ferguson, and Anthony Pettis.

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