No absolutely not Reason: this is a sport and they are too unnecessarily dangerous. Same reason socker kicks and stomps, and biting and groin hitting are all illegal as well.
I think I'd allow kicks on the ground before I'd allow those elbows. In the Hamil fight, it was like Jones was spearing Hamil in the face.
I prefer the old PRIDE rules. But in the cage there not practical. Downward strikes arent good. They can end fights earlier as well as cause severe damage to a fighter. Watching Hamil take those strikes in the face was painful.
Maybe guys should try to avoid those hooks then. If they get caught with them and the fight is stopped then that is their fault. Guys wouldn't use shut up shop as much if they know vertical elbows will be piercing their guard.
There has to be rules though. this isn't street fighting, its a sport. This is why there are rules in american football too (no spearing, no collar tackles, etc)
I agree. I don't think vertical elbows carry much less or more power than most elbows. It's not like guys don't get opened up big time on the ground and bleed the canvas red. These guys are forgetting the punches thrown from mount. How about the flying punches! Stomping someones head on the ground is genuinely life threatening. I'm totally against them as this is a sport. MMA fouls need to be looked at again I think.
I voted yes by accident. I think all elbows should be banned. They encourage fighters to come into the clinch and look to open cuts with grazing blows and can lead to very noring fights against the cage (Couture-Vera) . When elbows are banned (Pride) fights tend to stay at longer range encouraging punching and kicking which leads to more exciting fights.IMO. :happy
theyre a legitimate technique. (albeit with more chance of opening someone up) i cant see how they are any worse than a shin in the face. i wish alot of the rules would be taken away.
If they are going to allow elbows, then ****ing just allow them. TBH, you can deal MORE damage, with a horizontal elbow if you throw it in such a way that the elbow lands first, and not the forearm. You just generate more energy from twisting the torso, so it has the potential to do more damage.
I voted no. Just because Jones messed up doesn't mean the sport has to change. Bottom line is it was a foul. Lots of guys throw elbows in the GNP. GSP comes to mind right now. You never see him coming with an illegal blow that he wasn't to sure would be legal or not. MMA already has a certain degree of brutality that alot of people don't approve of. Downward elbows wouldn't do the sport any good. Jones simply needs to look at the rule book again.
Exactly, from his back. There are certain positions in MMA that a fighter can't take advantage of even if it means the other guy has the advantage. Example: When a fighter has a leg or a footlock, the fighter that has his joint being manipulated can't kick him. So downward elbows shouldn't be allowed from the GNP. It's to much of an advantage for the guy in top position, on top of the fact the fighter in top position can probably cause enough damage with regular GNP.