Recently a video of an oblique kick TKO that happened in GFC 5 went viral.
An oblique kick TKO in itself is already something MMA fans don’t see every day, but this specific TKO is even more special as it was delivered while the kicker was laying flat on the ground.
In the video, MMA fighter Santiago Soriano is seen laying flat on the ground while his opponent Jhans Perez seems to wait for the referee to stand his opponent up.
Soriano uses this opportunity to land a devastating oblique kick on Perez.
This kick ends up injuring Jhans Perez’s knee and rendering him unable to continue in the fight.
Particular KO de Santiago Soriano en el evento GFC 5 de Colombia. Metio una patada frontal a la rodilla desde el suelo y lo rompio al pobre Jhans Perez que se fue en camilla pic.twitter.com/QzieYdQGTA
— Barrele la pierna (@Barrelelapierna) January 30, 2022
Popularized by Jon jones, the Oblique kick is one of the most controversial techniques in MMA.
The argument against the technique is that it can cause career-altering damage to the opponent’s knee, while also not giving the opponent a chance to tap out as a submission would.
The technique has had a couple of victims in the UFC as well. While the kick is hardly a finishing move, it has been utilized as a way to limit the opponent’s mobility.
In their first fight, Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero traded **a lot** of oblique kicks. After the fight, it was reported that Whittaker blew his knee in the first round after being on the receiving end of an oblique kick.
Ironically, the first oblique kick Yoel threw in their first fight (UFC 213) tore a ligament in Whittaker’s leg – dude still went onto finish the fight AND ACTUALLY WON #BobbyBeastpic.twitter.com/iA4VtNZUBV
— Ike “Arm-Bar Mitzvah” Feldman (@IkeTagon) September 21, 2019
And of course, we wouldn’t be able to talk about oblique kicks without showcasing the oblique kick GOAT, Jon Jones.
Jon Jones: The Oblique Kick Master! @JonnyBones @MMAHistoryToday @MMAjunkie pic.twitter.com/VpMqgjSEtp
— MMA Clipz (@MMAClipz) January 12, 2016
Recently Khalil Roundtree finished Modestas Bukauskas with a devastating oblique kick that instantly injured Bukauskas knee and rendered him unable to continue.
As devastating as this technique can be, luckily it’s not at all indefensible.
We have a full article about how to avoid the oblique kick.
Movement is key against oblique kicks. If you are ready to step away as the kick comes, it’ll have little to no impact.
It’s also important to note that the oblique kick is a ‘straight’ attack.
And as it is the rule with every ‘straight’ attack in striking. Lateral movement is key to avoiding being hit by it.