A move that’s already caused plenty of debate in MMA could now be headed for the rulebook chopping block. California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster wants officials to take a serious look at banning lateral knee kicks under the Unified Rules of MMA, the same technique Ian Garry used on Shavkat Rakhmonov that further aggravated the welterweight contender’s knee injury.
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The idea came up during the commission’s post-event debrief following UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 20. According to MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, Foster wants to discuss “making lateral knee kicks a foul.” For now, though, it’s just a proposal, with no immediate rule change on the table.
I attended the California Athletic Commission debrief following UFC 331. Some notes from the meeting 👇
The timing is pretty interesting, too. Oblique kicks have been under the microscope for years, and the conversation only got louder after Ian Garry repeatedly went to the technique against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
‘The Future’ even took to social media afterward to brag that his oblique kicks had done serious damage to Rakhmonov’s knee and played a role in derailing his career, keeping him on the sidelines for over a year and a half.
And the footage backs up why people were talking. Video breakdowns showed one of the Irishman’s kicks catching Shavkat Rakhmonov’s advancing leg right around the knee. Unlike a normal body or leg kick, an oblique kick comes in at an awkward angle and drives force straight into the knee joint, which is exactly why the technique has become such a hot-button issue in MMA.
But there’s another pretty important piece of the puzzle here. ‘Nomad’ later admitted that he was already taking a huge gamble by stepping into the fight with a serious knee injury and without a proper ligament. His knee had also been badly swollen in the weeks before the fight.
“I already had an injury going into the Ian Garry fight,” he told ALF Global. “I stepped up. I hadn’t fought for a year; I wanted to fight. Even before that, I had health problems, too, and it turned out there were only two weeks left before the Ian Garry fight.
“That old injury was still bothering me a lot. My leg was swollen. When he was striking me, it was probably because I completely lacked a ligament. I couldn’t really feel that strike, in general.”
So, exactly how much Ian Garry’s kicks contributed to the problems that followed is still a complicated question. After all, Shavkat Rakhmonov clearly wasn’t entering the fight with a healthy knee to begin with.
The same issue popped up again at UFC 331 when middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan appeared to complain to the referee after taking a side kick to the knee during his unanimous decision win over Brunno Ferreira.The moment was a pretty clear reminder that, for now, those kinds of strikes are still perfectly legal under the Unified Rules.
That’s what makes the debate interesting. Oblique kicks and other lateral strikes aimed at the knee are often treated with a lot more caution in training. Foster now wants to figure out whether that same caution should apply when fighters are actually throwing down inside the Octagon.
It wouldn’t be the first time MMA has changed its mind on a controversial technique. The infamous 12-to-6 elbow was banned for more than two decades after regulators feared a straight-down elbow could cause serious skull damage.
But physics eventually showed that a vertical elbow isn’t inherently more dangerous than a diagonal one, leading the Association of Boxing Commissions to scrap the ban in late 2024. Soccer kicks and stomps on grounded opponents have also faced similar restrictions over the years.
For now, though, nothing has changed. Andy Foster’s comments are only a proposal, and any move to ban the technique would still have to go through the proper regulatory process before becoming an official rule.
Andy Foster proposes additional rule changes: Peptides and foul classification
The lateral knee kick debate wasn’t the only rules-related curveball Andy Foster brought up during the commission debrief.
Aaron Bronsteter also reported that the California State Athletic Commission executive director wants to sit down with medical professionals to discuss whether a specific peptide could be allowed in MMA.
The substance is reportedly used to help cuts heal and isn’t considered performance-enhancing, raising the question of whether fighters could eventually be allowed to use it under regulated conditions.
“Foster also wants to discuss making lateral knee kicks a foul and also wants to hold discussions with medical professionals and determine whether a specific peptide that heals cuts and are not performance-enhancing be made legal,” the MMA reporter wrote on X.
Andy Foster also floated another potential change to the Unified Rules, this time involving how fouls are classified.Right now, fouls are generally judged based on whether the referee believes they were intentional or unintentional, but the 47-year-old appears interested in taking another look at that system.
“Foster also discussed a potential rule change in the unified rules that would classify fouls as being incidental, reckless, or malicious rather than unintentional and intentional,” Bronsteter wrote in a follow-up post.”He believes that will make fighters keep their hands closed and reduce eye pokes.”
For now, though, none of these ideas actually changes the rules. Andy Foster is simply pushing for further discussion on several areas of MMA regulation. If any of these proposals eventually move forward, they’ll still have to go through the proper approval process before fighters have to worry about anything changing inside the cage.