Why Soccer Kicks Have No Place in Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts is working its way toward mainstream acceptance, slowly but surely. Whilst the brutality is often brought up by those new to the sport, there seems to be a gradual acceptance of the athleticism, dedication and precision of the modern MMA fighter. With the UFC’s Fox partnership and Bellator’s Viacom links, MMA will reach an unprecedented level of coverage to a broader audience than ever before. The image of Roger Huerta getting punted in the head is hardly a visual that will convince states and countries yet to legalise MMA to do so. The majority of promotions follow the Unified Rules of MMA, a standardised set of combative rules which provide a safe and relatively clear set of principles to abide by. Generally I believe it is a solid code. The idea behind it is based on skills as well as from an ethical standpoint.
When a dazed fighter is on both his hands and knees, semi-conscious and offering no form of defence it should have been an automatic stoppage by the referee. The fighter was clearly unable to intelligently defend himself. To continue with any further punishment surely breaches ethical issues but how about legal issues? Had Roger suffered a crushed trachea or a broken neck, could he have the right to sue, due to negligence on the referees’ part? The referee has a duty of care to the fighters to protect them when they are unable to do so for themselves. The referee also has a duty of care to uphold the image of the sport. Late, unnecessary blows bring the sport closer to a street fight.
I have heard some fighters such as Ramsey Najim and Ryan Couture say they are not against it and it would make the fighter more aware of being active from the bottom. While this may be the case, I am more concerned about the short and long term health issues that may arise from someone who takes a flush soccer kick to the face. I am thinking broken necks, brain damage, deviated septum’s, dislodged teeth, broken jaws, broken orbital bones and flattened noses. Despite this fight transpiring in a small promotion, it has and will be replayed in condemnation of our sport. Consider the implications had Roger seized in the cage and it was caught on film. The Sports Illustrated faced of MMA convulsing and bloodied on the other side of the world. Critics would disregard the fact the rule is not applied in the UFC, it would without doubt be tarred with the same brush.
Pride was a different beast, in a different time with competitors from the dawn of the sport. Some of these fighters had fought in open weight limits and no time limits. Pride was exciting and different. Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua stomping and soccer kicking their way the victory were some of the promotions highlights. They should be viewed in the same way of Pat Smith’s excessive barrage of elbows on Scott Morris or Gary Goodridge mauling Paul Herrera. These are events in time of a sport in development, a reference point in how face we have come in skill and regulation. They are spectacular and horrifying in the same breath, entertaining in a freak show kind of way.
When I was training in Martial Arts, there was a code of ethics in the way you approached fighting. The biggest code was you do not kick a beaten opponent on the ground. There is no honour and nothing to be gained; your point has been made. As a parent, if my teenage child wanted to pursue MMA and I had never seen the sport before, if my first exposure a soccer kick knock out I would be disgusted. I would not allow my child to get involved because it looks like the rules to protect a combatant are secondary. I have posed the above situation to several people I know and not one said they would want their kid in MMA.
I don’t believe in knees to a downed opponent either. I understand tactically it is a huge advantage but there are other options offensively. Chokes, elbows and punches are all viable and visually less disturbing options to get the job done. People that aren’t currently fans of the sport but would come across just to see soccer kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent, I’m not sure they are the type of fan you really want. If that’s all they are interested in, they completely miss the point of this great test of martial arts. These types of fans are only interested in brutality. If that’s what they are after, the internet is awash with videos of street brawls. In a street brawl, soccer kicks are common.
I remember Floyd Mayweather Jr saying comments about MMA, words to the effect to that MMA fighters are like animals, it doesn’t take skill to break an arm. I know this is the ridiculous “Money” Mayweather but as fans leave boxing for MMA, we should be doing our best to showcase the skill difference and respect, none of which these banned techniques do. I trained stand up fighting for nearly a decade. Not once did I look at a soccer kick as a representation of skill. To a potential fan moving over to MMA, it would be a hard technique to appreciate.
One technique I believe should be legalized is the downward elbow. I have heard the argument that should the point of the elbow catch the eye socket it can do serious damage. While this may be true, the difference in likely potential injury between a soccer kick and a downward elbow is immense. If you have even in training attempted to land a meaningful downward elbow, it isn’t easy. When an opponent is moving and sweaty it is difficult and most often not your best option. With the shorter wind up, you don’t generate the kind of force of a soccer kick. It still hurts like hell and is dangerous but no more so than the kind of elbows Kenny Florian would throw to cut you up into a bloody mess. I’d definitely consider a patented Josh Koscheck “punch” which renders you blind more dangerous.
I saw the damage Jon Jones did to Matt Hamill, only to be disqualified for illegal elbows. There is no way Matt was going to win that fight and the magical downward elbow rendered him unable to continue. Matt was being crushed as it was; he was in a bad way with a busted shoulder and was going to be finished anyway. It is a ridiculous rule based upon old martial arts demonstrations of people destroying boards with their elbows. The principle for the damage is bodyweight, not an elbow. The elbow could just as easily be a forearm with the same effect if not more. It looks impressive. I’ve seen a man crush a coconut with a hammer fist. Glad the rule makers didn’t see that demonstration too.
In summary my point is that both fighter safety and growth of the sport are the primary concerns. MMA in its present form can move into new states and countries. It has moved forward at a rapid rate. Smaller promotions looking to differentiate themselves from larger competitors need to understand their impact on the sport. Going down the road of a modern day Bloodsport does nothing for the image of MMA. It gives the detractors more ammunition. The fighters compete in the most dangerous combat sport in the world do so with a commendable safety record so far. As the sport expands, more promotions start and more fights take place more serious injuries will occur. It is just logic. The conditions do not need to be made more dangerous. The money as it stands is nowhere near high enough to take the potential paralysis of having your head punted like a football.
Techniques that place undue risk to their long term health should remain banned. Unlike most sports, we don’t’ have many years to observe the chronic damage to fighters. We do have orthopaedic surgeons like Dr Johnny Benjamin stepping forward with their professional medical opinion that this is just a tragedy waiting to happen should this type of thing be allowed to continue. I can’t think of a sadder image than seeing of a young MMA fighter being soccer kicked in the face and it breaking his neck. Imagine what would happen to this great sport if Roger Huerta had of been carried out of that ring in Singapore concussed and paralysed. MMA dodged a big bullet on that one. Imagine the political storm that would descend on the sport and stop its growth dead in its tracks. I know it seems like I am harping on about it and I am. I just don’ want to see the sport I love damaged by people who put the sport and fighters second to their own interests.
By Alex Durward
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