Mirali Huseynov broke his silence on viral footage of him dropping former UFC star Kevin Lee in sparring.
Former interim UFC lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee isn’t happy after a video of him getting dropped in a recent sparring session at Kill Cliff FC went viral.
Lee and Mirali Huseynov, Kill Cliff FC teammates, went to battle on the training mats as both fighters prepared for their MMA comeback fights. After a short-lived UFC return, Lee signed with GFL and could potentially come back to the cage against a former foe.
As Lee prepares for his MMA return in GFL, he suffered a bad knockdown in a recent sparring session courtesy of Huseynov. While knockdowns/knockouts aren’t uncommon in sparring, footage of spars is rarely publicized.
Footage of Huseynov dropping Lee was somehow leaked on social media, and Lee was furious the video got out. While it’s uncertain who leaked the footage, Lee is in hot pursuit of finding out who shared it with the MMA masses.
After Lee issued a fiery statement about the leaked footage, Museynov shared his side of the story.
Kevin Lee’s teammate calls him a ‘favorite partner’ after sparring footage goes viral
In a recent video posted to his Instagram, Mirali Huseynov gave his version of events after the Lee sparring session went viral.
“This is an MMA gym, it can happen to anyone,” Huseynov said. “Many, many times I got an injury, partner choked me, cut my eyebrow, broke my leg and hand, in the gym. We’re warriors, we’re not trying to make each other mad or sad. Even when my partners try to say ‘Sorry!’, I tell them don’t be sorry, that’s my bad…if an opponent doesn’t care about us, what happens in the gym stays in the gym…
“I wasn’t trying to share that video everywhere, I just wanted to explain what was going on there. He’s my favorite partner. We always try to work hard…I hit him hard and after work, I saw him and told him ‘Brother, everything good?’…this is a big part of our game for training, MMA, that’s normal for athletes.”
As of this writing, the leaker of the Lee/Huseynov sparring footage hasn’t been determined.
Kevin Lee prepares for GFL return, potentially against former UFC rival
Following a loss to Daniel Rodriguez in Aug. 2021, the UFC parted ways with Lee, before bringing him back to the promotion after Lee defeated Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46. Lee’s UFC comeback was a one-off, as he lost by first-round submission to Rinat Fakhretdinov in July 2023.
Lee returned to the win column last September at Lights Out Championship 17, defeating Thiago Oliveira by first-round submission. He, along with many former UFC standouts, signed with the brand-new GFL promotion, which is set to hold its debut event later this year.
Lee could potentially face former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson for his first appearance in the GFL cage. Ferguson was released by the UFC brass after suffering his eighth consecutive defeat last August against Michael Chiesa.
Ferguson defeated Lee for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 216 by third-round submission. Lee’s loss snapped a five-fight winning streak.
As he prepares for a shot at redemption, Lee remains in pursuit of who leaked the footage of him and Museynov at Kill Cliff FC. Lee’s strong reaction to the viral clip demonstrates the notion that what happens in the gym, stays in the gym.