There is a belief some of the illegal strikes in MMA should not be prohibited. It is argued they are legitimate battle strategies and should be valid techniques to employ. Although this may be true in other sports, MMA’s rules are there for a reason, or two. I’m here to explore those reasons.
While researching the various strikes in MMA that are illegal, I came to find a common theme among them: they are in place to prevent serious harm. And perhaps that seems obvious – of course, in a sport where injuries are inevitable and the main objective is to use physical strength and prowess to defeat an opponent, safety is key, but the list was not always so extensive.
The Origin of MMA
Just like many things nowadays, MMA originated in Greece. The famous Olympic Games in Olympia had a sport that combined the words pan and kratos (meaning “all powers”) to create the sport pankration. Fighters traveled from all over the ancient world to test their might against each other. The rules? No eye gouging, and no biting. The winners of this hand-to-hand combat sport often went on to be revered as legendary heroes. The more wins the better, just like today. Except these warriors were prone to attaining life-altering injuries, thus losing their titles, or their lives.
Ancient Pankrations
Source Unknown
Since then, fighting has branched out to different styles and places and is organized by a variety of organizations. MMA is leading in popularity with its association to UFC, and with so many eyes watching it’s important to keep fighters fighting. Competitors invest a great deal of time and skill into every fight, and just like an athlete in any sport, they depend on their bodies to carry them through their matches. If an injury is unrecoverable, their career could be over. Especially with MMA’s creative freedom surrounding approaches to fights, the possibilities of receiving different severe injuries increases, and thus the list of illegal strikes must be as comprehensive.
Safety in a Violent Sport
From an onlooker’s point of view, it may not seem like fighters are pulling punches or trying to be considerate to their opponent – blood in the cage, after all, is not uncommon – but, in fact, the likelihood of suffering a life-altering injury is lower in MMA than in other combat sports. Blood is not always an indicator of severity. Under the Official Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, areas like the eyes, throat, spine, groin, joints, all orifices, existing open wounds, and the head are protected. These are all areas where the wrong move can lead to irreparable damage, and as such, an attack to them, and specific moves against them, will lead to a foul and the possible loss of a match.
Along with concerns for the fighter’s safety, there is also the issue of interest. For example, headbutting is prohibited because of its simplicity and how it can easily turn into a bloody, relatively uninteresting mess – though some people argue it should be a valid strategy. Fighters are encouraged to use their limbs instead, as their movements make for more compelling matches.
The Bottom Line?
At the end of the day, MMA is as much a sport bent on entertaining as it is strength, and matches just might not be as thrilling if they’re ended quickly with critical, repetitive strikes each time. There would also be no sport if participants became too injured to continue. The existence of illegal strikes is for the best, in the interest of the fighters, the interest of the spectators, and all others involved.
Additional reading
Bleacher Report: “MMA: 10 Illegal Moves”
dummies: “History of Mixed Martial Arts Fighting”
Huffington Post: “Despite all the Blood, MMA is Actually Safer than Boxing”