The UFC Vegas 92 event on May 18th was highlighted by an unusual and controversial finish in the bantamweight bout between Melissa Gatto and Tamires Vidal. In the third round, Gatto landed a powerful punch directly to Vidal’s breast, visibly hurting her opponent. Sensing an opportunity, Gatto swarmed with follow-up strikes, leading to a TKO victory.
This distinctive finish immediately sparked a heated debate in the MMA world regarding the rules and safety measures for female stars. While strikes to the breasts are currently permitted under the unified rules, some have raised concerns about the potential long-term health risks, including the possibility of causing breast cancer.
As per sherdog, IMMAF refereeing director Guilherme Bravo commented:
“Melissa was intelligent, she studied the rules, noticed her opponent’s weak point and worked on it,” Bravo said. “The issue here is not to blame the athlete, but to raise a necessary debate for the evolution of the sport, which today is played by men and women, but the rules were made only by men.”
Carlao Barreto, the main commentator for UFC Fight Pass Brasil, agreed with Bravo on his Monday podcast, “Papo de Luta.”
“I sent a message to Claudia Gadelha, who is now a UFC employee, as soon as the broadcast ended,” Barreto said. “Women need to come together to do something. It may not necessarily be changing the rules, but at least creating an official outfit for girls with a mandatory protective bustier. UFC is not redesigning gloves to evolve the sport, it would be the same path towards protecting women. Especially if there are already studies proving the link between blows to the breasts and breast cancer.”
UFC star Mackenzie Dern had previously opened up about having breast implants and the anxiety she faces competing in MMA with them. Though it’s unclear if Vidal has implants, Dern’s comments highlighted the commonality of breast augmentations among female fighters and the risks they face.
Tainara Lisboa, a UFC commentator, was among the first to call for a re-evaluation of the rules, citing studies linking blows to the breast area with an increased risk of developing nodules and breast cancer.
Melissa Gatto revealed in her post-fight interview that she had intentionally targeted Vidal’s breasts after noticing her opponent’s visible discomfort from similar strikes in previous bouts. Gatto confirmed that the referee had explicitly stated that strikes to the breast area were legal.
With the Association of Boxing Commissions set to convene for a significant meeting this year to address the downed fighter rule, Bravo proposed seizing the opportunity to bring this breast strike issue to the forefront of discussions.
As the discourse around fighter safety continues, the UFC might find itself under increasing pressure to explore potential solutions, such as the development of protective bras or reassessing the rules regarding strikes to the breast area in women’s MMA.
