I think the success of oblique kicks is overstated because of how Jones used them, and he did that in unison with eye pokes and other fouling. Honestly while kind of a cheap and scummy technique, it probably shouldn't be banned.
What makes them cheap and scummy? Because fighters often target the knee? You could target the knee with a teep, side kick or round kick. Romero hurt Whittaker's knee with a side kick. I'll have to look at the fight again but I think he landed it on the thigh. What's wrong with this? This content is protected
That's a push kick... I more have a personal problem with tall fighters who have unusually long dimensions(like Jones)and take advantage of the technique as it can very easily cause the knee to hyper extend, but like I said it's more of a personal beef and while I consider the technique cheap, it probably shouldn't be banned.
Watch the angle of Larkin's foot. A couple of those are oblique kicks, particularly the one where the round time display is missing
Cause they could quite easily cripple a fighter for life At least you get to tap to a heel hook (unless it's Harris you're fighting)
If they target the knee, but you can target the knee with any other leg kick. Romero threw a few side kicks at Whittaker in their fight, at least one of which hit Whittaker's knee. Why are side kicks ok? Are direct strikes to the knee what you want be illegal? How would you enforce this? You can make the knee an illegal area to kick. What if the fighter moves the leg to block a kick that was heading for another target, and the kick then hits the knee? Would that still be a foul? I don't like it when fighters appear to be targeting their opponent's knees. @UnleashtheFURY has already pointed out that he feels that it is a "cheap" move, but it shouldn't be made illegal. I have to agree with him. You just made the point that it could injure the other fighter and that is the reason I don't like to see fighters doing it. I just don't know if there is anything that can be done within the rules to prevent it as long as leg kicks are allowed.
Any kick aimed at the knee with the intention of hyperextending it should be banned If the fighter moves his knee to block a kick aimed elsewhere then there was no deliberate intention to hyperextend the knee, so no that shouldn't be banned But targeting the knee with the deliberate intention to hyperextend it and therefore cripple your opponent is disgusting and should be banned, and any fighter who employs such a dirty dangerous move in the first place is a disgusting excuse for a human being
It's an interesting one. I mean the whole reason small joint manipulation is not allowed is because there isn't enough time for the losing fighter to tap out. When Coleman slammed Rua on his shoulder and dislocated it there was a huge brawl that night. The knee is the most exposed joint in MMA so should it be a target given that a bad kick can ruin a fighters career and they don't have chance to tap? The way I see it, the problem is not enforcing. It's easy enough to enforce you don't target the groin. With junior MMA it's easy enough to enforce you don't target the head. If a fighter blocks with a knee, no foul. If a fighter kicks the knee it should be like kicking the groin. No one wants serious injury in this sport. We've probably all seen the video in YouTube of the MT guy who does an oblique kick, pops the knee then kicks it back in place. The way I see it, unless a serious injury occurs there'll be no change to the ruling any time soon. But like Rampage said about Jones, you have to question the character of a man who wants to kick someone's knee out. Not every fight is Ortiz Vs Shamrock, these guys don't hate each other and don't want to hurt each other. They compete to show who the best is. So morally, they should be banned. In terms of the fight game, they are more entertaining but so are knees to a downed opponent and soccer kicks. Safety has to come first.
