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Can you kick a downed opponent in the body?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 07, 2026

The majority of MMA organizations follows the common rule of prohibiting knee strikes and kicks to the head of a grounded opponent, but fighters are allowed to strike their opponent's body. Hand and elbows strikes to the head are considered legal.

Can you knee a downed opponent in ONE?

The UFC has shown great disdain towards kneeing a downed opponent. Although many brand the move to be illegal, there does exist a fine line of difference in the rule books across promotions. This came to light during the most recent ONE flyweight championship title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

Can you knee a downed opponent in the UFC?

Can You Knee a Downed Opponent? Likewise, in the UFC you cannot knee a downed opponent in the head, but you can knee them in almost any other part of the body while they're grounded.

Can you kick someone while they're on the ground in UFC?

Kicks/knees/stomps to the head of a grounded opponent

While it is perfectly okay to kick or knee the opponent's head while standing, it is illegal to do it when the opponent is on the ground. If a fighter kicks or knees a grounded opponent, it will almost certainly result in a point deduction or even disqualification.

Can you kick someone on the ground in kickboxing?

Rules: Fighters are allowed to strike their opponent with punches, kicks and knees including kicks below the waist, except for the groin. Elbow strikes are forbidden.

17 related questions found

What is not allowed in kickboxing?

-No shin pads; no headgear are allowed. -Gloves are to be provided by the promoter and must be approved by NH BWC. The same brand of gloves will be provided to each pro fighter. No mixing and matching of gloves by the promotion.

Are low kicks allowed in kickboxing?

Use of low kicks in competition. Low kicks are prohibited under American kickboxing full contact rules. However, they are allowed in kickboxing under International rules and Oriental rules as well as in its variants such as muay Thai, sanshou, and shoot boxing.

Can you kick a downed opponent MMA?

The majority of MMA organizations follows the common rule of prohibiting knee strikes and kicks to the head of a grounded opponent, but fighters are allowed to strike their opponent's body.

Are kidney punches illegal in UFC?

Most strikes to the kidney are currently legal in MMA.

Are body slams legal in UFC?

Are slams legal in the UFC? The short and simple answer is, yes. Slams are allowed in the UFC and are not illegal. There are only a few things that are illegal in the UFC such as kicking a downed opponent, knee strikes to the back of the head or to a downed opponent and of course, punches to the back of the head.

Can you throat punch in boxing?

You cannot punch your opponent's back, or the back of his head or neck (known as a rabbit punch) or in the kidneys (kidney punch). 13. You cannot throw a punch while holding on to the ropes to gain leverage.

Why is a knee illegal in UFC?

An illegal knee in MMA is when a grounded opponent is struck in the head area by knee or by a kick, and can sometimes amount to disqualification. A grounded opponent is determined by how many hands or knees are on the canvas and can vary from state to state.

Are elbows legal in UFC?

Although many in the MMA community disagree with outlawing them, downward strikes with the elbow are illegal under the Unified Rules of MMA. To clarify, fighters may not strike their opponent from a twelve o'clock position to a six o'clock position with their elbow.

What is a yellow card in ONE Championship?

If fighters commit the following actions, they shall be given a yellow card by officials: Stalling or failure to initiate any offensive attack, making no attempt to finalize the match or damage the opponent, and holding the opponent's body with the arms and legs to produce a stalemate.

Why is hitting the back of the head illegal?

A rabbit punch is a blow to the back of the head or to the base of the skull. It is considered especially dangerous because it can damage the cervical vertebrae and subsequently the spinal cord, which may lead to serious and irreparable spinal cord injury.

Is headbutting allowed in UFC?

Headbutts were once legal in older organizations, but in almost every MMA organization today, headbutts are illegal. They are dangerous and can cause bad cuts on both fighters.

What shots are illegal in boxing?

Fighters may not hit below the belt, trip, hold, kick, headbutt, bite, push, or spit on opponents. You cannot strike with your head, forearm, or elbows. You cannot hit with an open glove, wrist, or backhand, only closed fist punches.

Is a knee to the head illegal in UFC?

While it is legal in the UFC to kick or knee an opponent in the head while he or she is standing, doing so to a grounded opponent is illegal. Knees to a grounded opponent's head is a move that is often witnessed in the UFC, and is often responded to with warnings, point deductions, or even a disqualification.

What does it mean to take a knee in boxing?

In boxing, fighters usually take a knee in frustration of not figuring the other fighter out and/or losing their will power and just plain old giving up.

What is a calf kick?

A calf kick is essentially a low roundhouse kick or low shin kick that targets an opponent's calf. The martial artist attempting a calf kick will generally strike the target with their lower shin or the instep of the foot. The calf kick is used by martial arts styles such as Mixed Martial Arts.

What is checked kick?

To check a kick is essentially blocking a kick with your leg with the upper part of your shin bone or knee. This damages the attacker's foot and shin and in the worst-case scenario can end in a broken leg for the kicker.

Does kickboxing allow elbows and knees?

Kickboxing mainly teaches boxing and kicking techniques and elbows and knees are even banned under some Kickboxing rules. However, there are different styles of Kickboxing and Kickboxing competitions, some of which allow them; therefore, some Kickboxing schools do still teach elbows and knees.

What are the 4 basic kicks for kickboxing?

Common kicks are Foot Jabs, Side Kicks, Hook Kicks and Heel Hook Kicks. Note that the fighting stance is different for Kicking than for Boxing. For Kicking, your fighting stance will have you leaning back more so you can reach and extend with your legs.

What does kickboxing do to your body?

Kickboxing strengthens and tones your legs, arms, glutes, back, and core all at once. You're moving through the entire workout, causing you to burn more calories while strengthening your muscles. This equates to fat loss, not muscle loss!

Are sweeps allowed in kickboxing?

Dumps and sweeps are wonderful off-balance techniques that can be used in the clinch or when catching a kick, but ONLY during a Muay Thai fight. None of these are allowed in kickboxing rules (although Kunlun Fight now allows leg catching and sweeping).