Can you headbutt in mma

Another one of the top things you'll see happen is a fighter get warned not to punch "the back of the head. Punching the back of the head is dangerous, and it could potentially cause severe damage to a fighter. Thus, it is not allowed. One of the most notable examples of punching the back of the head was Brock Lesnar 's first fight against Frank Mir , where he was deducted one point and restarted standing up.

The stoppage in the action led to Mir having a chance to recover, and Lesnar's eventual loss in the fight. Fighters rarely—if ever—get scolded for this because it is so uncommon. Even if it does happen, the best a ref can do is say not to do it again. In the case of Anthony Johnson, he lost a fight after being poked in the eye. Though some believe it should be permitted in the UFC, given that nobody has suffered a serious injury from a soccer kick yet, there are others who argue it could result in broken necks or even paralysis if it goes wrong.

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Headbutts change the game more than any other strike on the ground. Coleman would have probably been undefeated had they kept headbutts around during his UFC tenure, bro. Kamishiro Yuu , Sep 21, Headbutts should be illegal. Ban elbows Allow knees Give point deductions. Joined: Mar 9, Messages: 29, Likes Received: 11, Bigfoot would be a force to reckon with. Limbo Pete , Sep 21, Joined: May 18, Messages: 1, Likes Received: 0. Pangi , Sep 21, Also have seen multiple times headbutts being used to the sternum by jones in his early ufc fights and a few others that I can't remember at this time.

Joined: Oct 27, Messages: Likes Received: 0. Whoever has the biggest head wins. Tito Ortiz vs Bigfoot. Joined: Mar 31, Messages: 33, Likes Received: 18, The decision was made because the referee believed that cut had been caused by a punch. However, video replays showed that the cut was a result of an accidental headbutt. For obvious reasons, MMA fighters are not permitted to strike their opponents in the groin in any way.

Although all fighters are required to wear a protective cup, major damage can still be done by groin strikes. Like headbutts, intentional infractions of this type are almost non-existent.

However, accidental groin strikes are somewhat common in MMA. Poorly executed inside leg kicks can often lead to a painful break in action for one fighter. The rules for groin strikes are very similar to the rules for headbutts. Whether intentional or not, the referee has the option of taking a point away from the guilty fighter.

Also, the same rules regarding the outcome of the fight apply in cases where the opponent is unable to continue fighting. Striking to the back of the head is one of the most common reasons you might see a referee deduct a point from a fighter. The risk of paralyzing injury is the primary reasoning for the rules against these types of strikes.

Since fighters are unable to control when their opponent turns their head, referees usually give fighters some leeway when it comes to strikes to the back of the head. Unless a fighter is knocked out or badly hurt from a blow to the back of the head, referees will often give the guilty fighter at least one warning before deducting a point. To clarify, fighters may not strike their opponent from a twelve o'clock position to a six o'clock position with their elbow.

This rule was likely made to appease those who believed that early MMA was too violent. The justification for the rule is that it is believed that these type of elbow strikes are more capable of cutting an opponent or causing eye injury.