Can you knee someone on the ground in ufc

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.

During an exchange in the second round of the fight, 'Mighty Mouse' found himself on the ground in a poor position. After holding Johnson down and waiting to pick his shot, Moraes landed a vicious knee that landed flush on Johnson's chin. That was all she wrote.

Following Demetrious Johnson's first knockout loss in the sport, many were shocked at the result. In addition, few were able to comprehend the legality of the move. That was until Ariel Helwani took to Twitter in an attempt to explain the situation. Finish of the DJ fight. Brutal knee. Moraes nailed that.

What a moment for him. Shocking to see DJ get stopped. Citing the illegal knee strike during his UFC title bout against Petr Yan, this is what the year old had to say:. Props to Adriano Moraes. However, this was a dangerous move considering that DJ was downed. Many UFC fans were having one question on their mind — can you knee a downed opponent? The UFC and ONE might be two of the biggest promotions in the world but there is one major rule change that the promotions have. A downed opponent is basically someone who has more than their soles on the floor.

That includes knees, the back or any other body part. Brutal knee. Finish of the DJ fight. Moraes nailed that. What a moment for him. I admit, fighters have like all intelligent people found ways to win fights around the current rule. It seems to me, though, that strategizing around a rule that protects the fighter and not the fight will ultimately ruin the sport.

Interestingly, football is dealing with the exact opposite of MMA from an entertainment perspective. Where football is reconsidering what makes it fan- and family-friendly, MMA is understanding how to become those things. Naturally, it all comes down to the violence.

This, then, is our second argument to consider. MMA has a storied history—a history that includes knees on the ground—that it cannot ignore. As it moves closer to both strict state-wide and world-wide regulation and international popularity, these choices need to be considered with more discretion for the public eye than before.