One the face of it, it looks more or less like anything goes inside a cage during a mixed martial arts (MMA) contest.
With numerous combat disciplines falling under the MMA banner, there has to be a huge number of moves which are permitted to be used inside the cage.
However, in order to keep the fighters safe and ensure it is a level playing field before the first bell, there are a number of moves which are illegal in MMA.
What moves are banned in MMA?
The list below details the most popular moves which are banned in MMA.
- Headbutting
- Eye-gouging
- Biting
- Hair pulling
- Fish-hooking
- Groin attacks
- Small joint manipulation
- Rabbit punches
- 12-6 elbows
- Piledriving
- Kicks, knees or stomps to the head of a grounded opponent
- Holding the shorts/gloves or fence
While these are the ones most known to fans, there are also a number of lesser known illegal moves which happen less frequently. These can be found below.
- Throat strikes of any kind
- Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
- Grabbing the clavicle
- Kicking to the kidney with the heel
- Throwing an opponent out of the rings or fenced area
- Spitting at an opponent or the referee
- Engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent
- Using abusive language
- Attacking an opponent during the break
- Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
- Attacking an opponent after the bell
- Not obeying the instructions of the referee
- Avoiding contact with an opponent, dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
- Interference by the corner
- Throwing in the towel during competition
- Applying any substance that could result in an unfair advantage
- Striking the part of the body just above the kidneys
- Spitting out the mouthpiece on purpose
What happens if a fighter commits an illegal move?
If a fighter or his team commits an illegal move of any kind, they can be deducted a point off their score or even disqualified.