Should MMA ban oblique kicks? A fighter who had his knee torn in a UFC title fight weighs in
MMA Fighting • • sports
Key Points:
- Thiago Santos, who suffered career-impacting knee injuries from oblique kicks, disagrees with calls from the California State Athletic Commission director and UFC CEO Dana White to ban the technique, stating it is a defendable and legitimate move.
- Santos argues that other strikes, such as 12-6 elbows or illegal shots to the back of the head and eye pokes, pose greater safety concerns and deserve more focus and harsher penalties from officials.
- Despite undergoing double knee surgery and a difficult recovery, Santos remains active in combat sports at age 42 but considers himself effectively retired, continuing to train and compete occasionally without pursuing a formal comeback.
- Santos emphasizes that restricting techniques like oblique kicks could harm the sport and that officials should prioritize addressing truly dangerous fouls to improve fighter safety.
