UFC Backs CSAC Review That Could Ban Oblique Knee Kicks
California regulators have opened a formal review after a UFC 331 fight, and a ban would force rule changes across sanctioned promotions, reshaping training, officiating, fighter safety, fight strategy.
Overview
- California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster raised the idea of formally reviewing lateral or oblique knee kicks during the commission’s post-event debrief after UFC 331.
- UFC president Dana White publicly said the promotion would support Foster’s push to examine making the strike a foul.
- Oblique kicks remain legal under the Unified Rules today, so no rule change has been enacted and fighters can still use the technique in sanctioned bouts.
- Reporting has linked oblique kicks to serious knee injuries in past fights, including bouts involving Khalil Rountree Jr., Modestas Bukauskas, Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov, which is the core safety concern driving the review.
- Any ban would require a formal rulemaking process with medical and regulatory review and would oblige major promotions to treat the kick as a foul, which would change how fighters train and how referees enforce leg strikes.