Dana White backs ban on controversial UFC move Jon Jones was slammed for using
Dana White has lent his backing to a proposed ban on oblique kicks in mixed martial arts.
The UFC CEO said he does not disagree with Andy Foster, the California State Athletic Commission Director, who wants to discuss a proposal to ban 'lateral knee kicks' from the MMA arena.
Foster reportedly made the suggestion to the commission after UFC 331, where victorious middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan complained about opponent Brunno Ferreira 'throwing side kicks at his knee' during their fight in Los Angeles.
Dana White does not oppose a ban on oblique kicks
In his press conference after the latest instalment of Dana White's Contender Series, White made clear his respect for Foster and his views.
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"He's the most powerful guy in the commission anywhere in the world and he's the best," said White.
"We don't disagree."
Considered by some pundits to be MMA's most controversial legal strike, the oblique kick became associated with former light heavyweight champion and UFC legend Jon Jones.
Calls to ban the technique date back more than a decade. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson argued that a willingness to use it reflected badly on a fighter's character after he was defeated by Jones following repeated oblique kick attacks in 2011.
The move has become increasingly popular in MMA and Muay Thai but is widely criticised, though it is defended with gusto in some quarters too.
After all, mixed martial arts is a physically damaging combat sport where serious injuries, and serious knee injuries in particular, are just part of the deal.
It's no surprise that there are fighters who are willing to advocate for oblique kicks just as readily as use them, and the commission review is bound to attract some controversy in its own right.
Read next: Daniel Cormier blasts 'ungrateful' Gable Steveson after what he did following UFC 331 KO
What are oblique kicks and why are they considered so dangerous?
Oblique kicks, perfectly legal in MMA and the UFC at present, amount to a brutal, stomping strike targeting the knee of a fighter's straight standing leg.
It's used as an aggressive attacking move and as a deterrent that creates space to manoeuvre.
The risk of injury is extremely obvious. Fans of any sport will understand that a significant blow to a straight and planted leg can cause severe damage to the knee ligaments, most notably threatening serious stress injury to the ACL and MCL.
"It should be banned and it shows a lot about the fighterās character that he would throw it. How would he like it if somebody threw it at him and stopped him working for a year? I thought it was an illegal move," Jackson told ESPN.
"I think spinning elbows should be illegal too because they land on the back of the head. But I appreciate a good fight, a good scrap, I just wonder which rule fighters will bend next."
Topics:Ā UFC, Dana White, MMA
Chris Nee