Footage has emerged of former UFC star Kevin Lee getting brutally dropped during a sparring session at Kill Cliff FC in Miami, Florida.
In the footage, Lee (20-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) can be seen leaping forward attempting to throw a jumping knee, before his training partner steps off and places a counter right hand straight onto Lee's chin, causing him to faceplant onto the canvas. "Motown Phenom" climbs back to his feet and is comforted by ex-UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, before walking away while reassuring Lawler that he is ok.
The incident drew plenty of criticism from fans online, with many calling out the (as yet unnamed) person who filmed and shared the footage online, while Lee has taken to social media to address the situation.
"Idk who posted that video or why but I'm heading right now to find out" said the 32-year-old in a post 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".
Lee made his UFC debut back in 2014 and after losing that first contest inside the Octagon to Al Iaquinta, he went on to win 9 of his next 10 fights, a run which earned him a shot at the interim lightweight title in October of 2017. Lee was submitted by Tony Ferguson in that bout and struggled to get back to his best form, losing 6 of his next 9 fights before eventually being released from the UFC in 2023.
He returned to competitive action last September with a first-round submission victory over Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 and recently signed a deal with the Global Fight League to become a part of their roster, before being drafted by the promotion's New York team.
