Oblique Kicks Under Review

Lateral kicks to the knee remain legal in professional MMA. After UFC 331, California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster wants officials to consider whether they should become fouls. Nothing has been adopted yet.

The issue surfaced during Brunno Ferreira's middleweight bout with Edmen Shahbazyan in Los Angeles. Ferreira repeatedly kicked toward Shahbazyan's lead knee. Shahbazyan protested to the referee, but the strikes were legal under the current rules. Shahbazyan ultimately won by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

No ban has been adopted

At the California commission's public debrief, Foster raised the idea of “making lateral knee kicks a foul.” He did not announce an immediate ban or present a completed proposal.

A broadly adopted change to the Unified Rules would require a formal process through the Association of Boxing Commissions, followed by implementation in individual jurisdictions. California could adopt stricter standards, but only through its own commission process.

The technique and the dispute

Oblique kick usually describes a linear or lateral strike with the sole or heel into the opponent's lead leg. Foster specifically referred to lateral knee kicks, not every front kick or thigh strike. Fighters use the technique to manage distance, interrupt pressure and keep an opponent's weight off the lead leg.

Critics argue that a kick into a loaded or nearly extended leg can transfer force directly into the knee and its ligaments. Supporters note that MMA already permits other potentially severe attacks to joints and the head. Foster's suggestion has not yet been accompanied by data showing how often lateral knee kicks cause serious injuries.

Legal in MMA, banned in kickboxing

Linear or lateral kicks to the knee do not appear on the Unified Rules foul list. An ABC rules committee reviewed “linear strikes to the knee joint” after Anderson Silva versus Thales Leites in 2009 and recommended that they remain legal. CS.C explains the wider framework in MMA rules explained.

Professional kickboxing under the ABC rules draws a different line: “thrusting or linear kicks directed at the knee joint” are fouls. That wording could inform an MMA proposal, but the different stance, distance and takedown threat prevent a simple copy.

Any rule needs a precise boundary

The debate predates UFC 331. In 2021, Khalil Rountree Jr. stopped Modestas Bukauskas with a kick to the knee at UFC Vegas 36. The TKO prompted another review but no rule change.

A new rule would have to define whether only direct kicks to the knee joint or also strikes landing just above it are prohibited. A broad definition could capture ordinary range and low kicks; a narrow one may be difficult for referees to apply. Until there is draft language and a formal vote, oblique kicks and lateral knee kicks remain legal in MMA.