Former UFC fighter Kevin Lee was captured in a viral video taking a hard hit during sparring.
The footage, which has been circulating on social media, shows Lee attempting a flying knee on his sparring partner at Kill Cliff FC, only to fall short. The sparring partner reacted with a powerful overhand right that knocked Lee to the ground. After the incident, Lee was attended to by former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, where he reassured Lawler that he was fine before walking it off.
Watch the video of the knockdown below.
Now 32 years old, Lee is striving to regain the form that once had many in the MMA community predicting he would become one of the sport’s top stars. Following a 19-fight tenure in the UFC over two periods, Lee has now joined the Global Fight League roster. He was drafted by the New York team and is expected to make his promotional debut soon.
After a quick 55-second submission defeat to Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC Vegas 76 in July 2023, the UFC opted not to renew Lee’s contract as a one-time interim lightweight title contender. Lee returned to MMA after a 14-month hiatus and secured a first-round submission victory over 40-fight veteran Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 in September.
Lee addressed the video being shared in the tweet below.
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