UFC President Dana White has expressed support for the California State Athletic Commission's effort to ban oblique kicks to the knee in MMA. The CSAC raised the issue following UFC 331, where a middleweight prelim between Edmen Shahbazyan and Brunno Ferreira brought the strike's legality into question after Shahbazyan mistakenly believed the kick was already illegal. The oblique kick has been a long-standing controversy in the sport, with fighters such as Jon Jones and Ian Machado Garry notably employing it — the latter having contributed to Shavkat Rakhmonov's ongoing knee problems with the technique.
Dana White has voiced his support for a California State Athletic Commission push to prohibit oblique kicks to the knee in MMA, a development that gained fresh momentum following a middleweight preliminary bout at UFC 331 on September 19.
The fight between Edmen Shahbazyan and Brunno Ferreira brought the technique back into public debate after Shahbazyan reportedly believed the kick was already banned under existing rules. The moment highlighted the ongoing confusion surrounding a strike that has divided fighters, coaches, and regulators for years. Ferreira, a 33-year-old Brazilian middleweight fighting out of Brazilian TKO, carries a professional record of 15-5 and lands 3.08 significant strikes per minute with a 45 percent striking accuracy rate.
The oblique kick's history in the sport is inseparable from some of its biggest names. Jon Jones, widely regarded as one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history, has employed the technique throughout his career. The 39-year-old stands six-foot-four with an extraordinary 84-inch reach — 213 centimeters — and has built a 28-1 record while landing 4.38 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy. The technique has also been associated with Ian Machado Garry, whose use of it is cited in the summary as a contributing factor to knee problems suffered by Shavkat Rakhmonov. The undefeated Kazakhstani contender, 31 years old and standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, holds a spotless 19-0 record and strikes at 60 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- The CSAC regulating oblique kicks could set a precedent that other state commissions follow, reshaping legal striking in MMA broadly.
- Fighters who rely heavily on the kick as a range-control tool would need to adjust their game planning significantly.
- Rakhmonov's reported knee issues put a human face on the injury argument, potentially accelerating regulatory momentum.
- Any rule change would require coordination across multiple athletic commissions to achieve consistent enforcement across events.
Saturday, September 19, 2026
