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Illegal UFC Moves: 12 Fouls And Rule Changes Explained

By Alex Potranco · · Updated

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Photo by Lee Brimelow, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Many new UFC fans believe an MMA match is a no-holds-barred fight where anything goes.

Well…

That was close to true in the early 1990s, when the UFC began. Today, UFC bouts in the US follow the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which list dozens of fouls that can cost a fighter points or get them disqualified.

12 UFC Fouls And Rule Changes You Should Know

The rules cover everything from groin strikes to eye gouges and blows to the back of the head. These moves are banned because they can cause serious injury. Depending on how bad and how deliberate the foul is, the referee can warn the fighter, take away points, or disqualify them. Here are some of the best-known ones.

1. Eye Gouging Or Pokes

Eye gouging of any kind is illegal. Eye pokes are still common in MMA, partly because fighters often reach out with open hands to measure distance or parry.

An intentional or repeated foul can cost a fighter points, and a flagrant one can lead to disqualification.

If the poke looks accidental, the referee calls time and checks the fighter. A fighter who needs medical attention can get up to five minutes, at the referee's discretion, for the ringside doctor to evaluate them.

If an accidental foul stops the fight early, the result is a no contest. If it happens after the halfway point of the scheduled rounds, the fight goes to a technical decision based on the scorecards.

2. Groin Shots

Groin attacks of any kind, including strikes and grabs, are illegal for both men and women. Male fighters must wear groin protection, but a cup does not prevent every injury.

A fighter hit with a low blow who is able to continue can get up to five minutes to recover. If they can't continue, the result depends on whether the foul was intentional and when it happened: a disqualification, a no contest, or a technical decision.

3. Stomps, Kicks, Or Knees To The Head Of A Downed opponent

Some promotions, such as the old Pride FC in Japan, allowed soccer kicks and stomps on a downed opponent. Under the Unified Rules, kicking or kneeing the head of a grounded opponent and stomping a grounded fighter are fouls.

The definition of "grounded" changed in 2024. A fighter now counts as grounded when any part of the body other than the hands or feet touches the canvas, so putting a palm on the mat no longer protects a fighter from knees and kicks.

A well-known example came at UFC 259 in 2021. Petr Yan landed an illegal knee to the head of a downed Aljamain Sterling, was disqualified, and Sterling became the new bantamweight champion.

4. Fish Hooking

Fish hooking is also illegal. It means hooking fingers into an opponent's mouth, nose or ears and pulling or stretching the skin.

It can cause tears and lacerations, and it is painful. It is not common in the UFC, but referees watch for it during scrambles and choke attempts.

5. Piledrivers

The rules ban spiking an opponent onto the canvas head or neck first, which is what a piledriver does. You may know the move from pro wrestling, where it is staged.

In a real fight, landing on the head or neck can cause catastrophic spinal injuries. A fighter may still slam an opponent who is lifting them, as long as they don't drive the opponent's head or neck into the mat.

6. 12-to-6 Elbows

A 12-to-6 elbow is a straight-down elbow strike, like a clock hand moving from 12 to 6. For years it was a foul under the Unified Rules.

Its most famous result was Jon Jones' disqualification loss to Matt Hamill in 2009, which came from 12-to-6 elbows on a downed Hamill. The decision is still debated.

In July 2024, the Association of Boxing Commissions voted to remove the 12-to-6 elbow ban. Each state commission has to adopt the change on its own, and many, including Nevada, did so for events from late 2024.

7. Head Butts Are Illegal

Head butts are legal in Lethwei, a Burmese bare-knuckle combat sport, but they are not allowed in a UFC fight. Butting with the head is the first foul listed in the Unified Rules.

Accidental clashes of heads still happen, usually when fighters are in the clinch or both moving forward. They can cause nasty cuts around the eyes and nose.

If an accidental head clash causes an injury that stops the fight, the same rules apply as with other accidental fouls: a no contest early in the fight, or a technical decision after the halfway point.

8. Rabbit Punch

Strikes to the spine or the back of the head, often called rabbit punches, are illegal in the UFC. The back of the head runs from the crown down to the base of the skull, where the skull meets the neck.

A hard blow there can injure the brainstem and upper spine. Rabbit punches are banned in boxing and kickboxing too, though they sometimes land by accident when a fighter turns away.

9. Holding The Cage

Holding or grabbing the fence with the fingers or toes is illegal. Fighters often do it by instinct while defending takedowns or trying to stay on their feet.

Fighters may put their hands on the fence and push off it, but they may not grab it. Holding the cage can stop a takedown or help a fighter escape a position, so referees can take away a point if it has a big effect on the fight.

10. Hair Pulling

Pulling the hair in any way is illegal, in both men's and women's divisions. It is rare, but it can happen in the clinch or during grappling exchanges.

A fighter may not use an opponent's hair to control their head or body. Fighters with long hair must secure it so it can't be used as a handle.

11. Holding An Opponent's Gloves Or Shorts

Like holding the cage, grabbing an opponent's gloves or shorts can stop them from moving or improving their position. A fighter may grab an opponent's hand or wrist, but not the glove or the shorts.

12. Throat Strikes

UFC fighters can attack the neck with legal chokes, such as the triangle choke and the rear-naked choke. But directed throat strikes of any kind, and grabbing the trachea, are illegal.

Knock-Out Point: Proceed to our next article related to this topic -- UFC Scoring.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Slapping Illegal In MMA?

No, it isn't illegal. Soccer kicks to a downed opponent, groin strikes, and hair pulling are fouls, but open-hand slaps are legal strikes. Nate Diaz is known for using the "Stockton slap" to get under an opponent's skin.

Yes, it is. According to the MMA rules, you may knee or kick the head of a standing opponent, but kneeing or kicking the head of a grounded opponent is illegal. A flying knee to a grounded opponent's head can lead to a point deduction or disqualification.

Repeated blows to the head have been linked to Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is one reason the rules try to protect fighters.

Are Ax Kicks Illegal In UFC?

No, they're not illegal. Ax kicks to a standing opponent are allowed, and the Unified Rules specifically say an ax kick is not a stomp. But ax kicks to a grounded opponent's head, like other kicks, are illegal.

Conclusion

The UFC is far from a no-rules fight. The Unified Rules ban moves such as eye gouges, groin strikes, head butts, piledrivers, and kicks or knees to the head of a downed opponent.

These fouls can lead to point deductions or disqualification. The rules also change over time, as the 2024 decision to allow 12-to-6 elbows shows.

Sources

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