Do whatever it takes to win, as long as you don't do these...
1. Headbutts
It’s legal in lethwei and was a fight- (and-face-)changing favorite of Mark Coleman, but your head can no longer be used as a deliberate striking weapon in the UFC. Press, post and grind with it, sure. But no nodders.
2. Eye gouging
Jon Jones seemed not to have gotten the memo at times, but you can’t stick anything smaller than a fist in your opponent's eye socket. Toes, oddly, are a legal weapon. They’re not dextrous enough to be deemed a deliberate strike.
3. Biting and spitting
It happens. But not often. Jason Knight was docked a point for defending a guillotine with his teeth at UFC Fresno. And hocking one out at Jorge Rivera’s corner at UFC 127 was not Michael Spitsbing’s finest hour.
4. Fish-hooking
Putting your fingers into your opponent’s mouth, nose or ears and giving the skin a yank. You may have noticed Eddie Alvarez sneakily fish-hooking Dustin Poirier’s ear in their rematch.
5. Hair pulling
Before being outlawed, this could be a game-changer. Back at UFC 3, Royce Gracie was in trouble against Kimo until he grabbed a fistful of ponytail to turn the fight around. It was still legal at UFC 4, but Guy Mezger and Jason Fairn even made a gentlemen’s agreement not to.
6. Spiking
Spinal compression, anyone? Inverting your opponent and pile-driving him down on top of his head – like Bob Sapp did to Big Nog at Pride Shockwave – is now illegal. It becomes legal when you throw your opponent in an arc... See Kevin Randleman’s famous Fedor slam.
7. Strikes to the spine or back of the head
“Back of the head” is defined as the area starting at your crown (where your head starts to curve) and running down the centreline of your head with a one-inch variance to each side. The entire rear of your neck and the length of the spine is also off-limits.
8. Throat strikes or trachea grabs
You can’t deliberately strike the throat, but you can pressure it with the web of your hand. Look for the letter-shape your hand makes on your opponent’s throat: L(egal) is allowed but C(lamp) is not.
9. Fingers outstretched toward an opponent’s face/eyes
An attempt to stop eye pokes, this rule has problems. Holding out an open hand parallel to the floor is a natural motion: fighters do so to measure distance, to put up a fence and to enable grappling. None of which will make Stipe Miocic feel any better...
10. 12-6 elbows
Perhaps MMA’s most notorious rule and the one blemish on Jon Jones’ record. It was borne from a misinformed belief in the terrifying force generated by vertical downward elbows used to smash blocks in karate demos. In reality, 12-6 elbows were the sacrificial lamb that allowed MMA to keep other elbow strikes. Which, of course, includes 11-5 elbows or 1-7 elbows. If there’s an angle, there’s a legal strike.
11. Groin attacks
At UFC 4, Kenpo master Keith Hackney forced the tap by punching Joe Son seven times in the plums. It was a not a good look for the sport. Striking, grabbing, twisting, whatever, is just not okay.
12. Kneeing/kicking the head of a grounded opponent
Bit of a disaster, this one. Originally, if you had three points on the mat - one hand down, two feet - you were considered a downed fighter. In the ABC’s revised rules, a downed fighter must have two palms/fists fl at and two soles of feet on the canvas. Problem: Nevada still uses the old ruleset. As a guide: Mousasi’s knees on Weidman, perfectly legal; Alvarez’s knees on Poirier, not so much.
13. Stomping on a grounded opponent
There are only two legal stomps: foot stomps and hand stamps (if the fighter is standing and has one hand down). You can, however, use axe kicks (straight leg, heel strike) to a grounded fighter a la GSP.
14. Holding opponent’s gloves or shorts
You can grab your own gear as much as you like. But you cannot control your opponent’s clothing or the material of their gloves.
15. Holding or grabbing the fence or ropes with fingers or toes
What refs are really looking for is a deliberate grip and an effect on the fight. Has the position changed because of the foul? Pivotal fence-grabs include Aldo vs Mendes I (unpunished) and Romero vs Jacare (punished).
16. Small joint manipulation
Meaning, you can’t attack your opponent’s fingers and toes. We’re pretty sure no one has ever attacked someone’s toes.
17. Throwing an opponent out of the cage
It’s spelled M-M-A not W-W-E. Sorry, Tank Abbott. Thanks for the memories.
18. Placing a finger into any orifice, cut or laceration of your opponent
And that means any orifice. But mostly this aims to stop savvy veterans forcing cuts open with their fingers, as Chad Mendes did to Conor McGregor during their brief, brutal scrap.
19. Clawing, pinching, twisting flesh
Devastating spinning elbows, yes. Chinese burns, no. You can’t twist your opponent’s nose or ears or any other fleshy body-bits.
20. Timidity
You’re here to fight. So purposely avoiding a fight or stalling to buy time – spitting out your mouthpiece or faking an injury – can be penalised. A rule designed to protect us from staring contests like Ngannou vs Lewis and Holm vs Correia.
21. Abusive language
The Diaz brothers proved you can talk a good fight even when you’re in the middle of one. But there’s a line where smack-talking becomes obscenity. And the ref draws it.
22. Flagrant disregard of the referee’s instructions
A catch-all no-brainer. Obviously, fighters must follow the ref’s instructions at all times.
23. Unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to your opponent
Sportsmanship remains more crucial to MMA than any other sport, as it continues to rehabilitate its rep and re-educate the mainstream. If you can’t play within the rules, you don’t belong in the game.
24. Attacking an opponent after the bell
Post-buzzer sucker punches (like the one that got Paul Daley axed from the UFC) are clearly not okay. But one thing to know here: the buzzer does not end a round or a fight, the ref does. It’s his or her signal to stop the action. Or not, as Holly Holm found out against Germaine de Randamie.
25. Attacking an opponent during the break
If the referee calls time-out – or declares any kind of break in the action – you step back and disengage.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
Just in case you didn’t get it from the last two rules… When the referee steps in to stop the contest or save a fighter from further damage, you stop. We’re looking at you, Rousimar Palhares.
27. Interference from a fighter’s corner
Everyone, including the corners, are under the ref’s jurisdiction. Even if your name is Conor McGregor.
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