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Should MMA ban oblique kicks? A fighter who had his knee torn in a UFC title fight weighs in

Published

3 weeks ago

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Should MMA ban oblique kicks? A fighter who had his knee torn in a UFC title fight weighs in

California State Athletic Commission director Andy Foster and UFC CEO Dana White recently came out to support the idea of banning oblique kicks, but one fighter who had his career changed due to those strikes has a different stance.

Thiago Santos did a good job in his UFC title bout against Jon Jones in 2019, losing a split decision despite the fact he had both knees injured. The damage caused to his left knee was caused by lateral knee kicks, and his right one was already hurt going into UFC 239.

Santos had to undergo double knee surgery, and a lengthy recovery period, before eventually fighting again more than a year later, but lost four of his next five before parting ways with the UFC.

“I personally don't see the need for it,†Santos told MMA Fighting. “I don't see it as an illegal technique, a technique that's that difficult to defend from. Then you're going to say it causes a lot of damage. Man, I think a well-placed kick, like an Edson Barboza kick, a well-placed low kick to the knee can also cause a lot of damage. And the guy has the option to block it or move his leg out of the way. So I think it works the same way. The guy can bend his knee, move his leg out of the way, move to the side. There are a few ways to avoid it. I don't know, that's just my opinion. I don't see it as something that needs to be banned.â€

Santos, in fact, would suggest once again banning 12-6 elbows before worrying about oblique kicks. In the end, “Marreta†thinks that more restrictions could “end up hurting the sport†and officials should instead focus on other topics.

“I think there are other more important things they should be focusing on,†Santos said. “Like strikes that are actually illegal, like shots to the back of the head, eye pokes. To actually change the rules and impose more severe punishments for those things. Those are the things that are really concerning. You look at the case of Alex Pereira himself, you look at the case of the former heavyweight champion [Tom Aspinall], who almost went blind. Those are things that really need attention, and they should be concerned about imposing harsher penalties on people who do that, so that fighters are more concerned about not committing those infractions. That's what they should be focusing on, not these oblique kicks.â€

Married to UFC fighter Yana Santos, and still active in combat sports at age 42, “Marreta†is on the fence about fighting again under regular MMA bouts. He won't lay his gloves down, but isn't actively pursuing long deals either.

“I consider myself retired,†Santos said. “I still do it not for the money, but because I still feel capable of doing it. If you look at my last few fights, even with the losses, I'm not a guy who gets hit a lot, and I'm not a guy that people just run through. I'm still competitive. My last fight, I lost and broke my hand in the first round against a guy who was 20 pounds heavier, a striker, and even so, I went three rounds with him and it was a split decision. You don't really see a huge disparity against me, a 42-year-old who was 20 pounds lighter.â€

“I still feel like I can stretch it out a little bit longer, but I don't have a career plan,†he continued. “I'm at the end of my career. I consider myself retired, but I'm not the kind of guy who's going to go on the internet and post that I'm retired from MMA. I look at it the same way I did when I left the Armed Forces. When you leave the Armed Forces, you go into the reserve. That's how I see myself in MMA as well.â€

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MMA

Diego Lopes discusses the logistics of his upcoming lightweight move

Published

7 hours ago

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October 16, 2026

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Diego Lopes discusses the logistics of his upcoming lightweight move
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UFC lightweight newcomer Diego Lopes has spoken about the logistics of his move up to face Charles Oliveira for the BMF title.

In the main event of UFC 335, Charles Oliveira will defend the BMF title against Diego Lopes. We all know Lopes to be an entertaining fighter to watch in the cage but after twice failing to take the featherweight belt from Alexander Volkanovski, he's ready for a new challenge.

RELATED: Diego Lopes expecting a war against Charles Oliveira at UFC 335: ‘Let's see who goes down first'

Charles Oliveira, of course, is a seasoned lightweight veteran, a former champion, and someone who will be looking to take advantage of any rust Diego Lopes may have in this new weight class.

In a recent interview, though, Diego Lopes discussed how he plans to adapt to his new surroundings.

Diego Lopes discusses his lightweight switch

“Height-wise, I don't feel bad,†Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “I think I'm one of the tallest fighters in the division. I think out of all the top-five fighters, I'm the same height or taller. I think Pimblett is the only one bigger than me height-wise and weight-wise, but I still need to adapt, and I don't think it will be a problem.â€

“I'll give you an interesting stat: my nutritionist and I did an evaluation of how much the top lightweights were bouncing back in weight the day of the fight,†Lopes said. “My decision to move up to 155 was not just, ‘I'm moving up. That's it.' No. So from the champion to the top five, they bounce up around 180 to 172 pounds. That's normally what they're bouncing to. I've been adapting my weight for 155 for some time now.

“In my last fight, and this you'll find interesting: for my last fight, on fight day, I weighed in at 175. So if you think about it, I'm already about average. Obviously, that was in the morning, and I was swollen, and after going to the bathroom and training, I was at 170, 171. So it wasn't too bad, and keep in mind I made a camp for 145 pounds. Now, imagine at 155, I think I'll be good.â€

“We'll see what happens,†Lopes said. “I want to see how my body responds at 155. I want to see how I adapt at 155. This is the first time I'm doing a camp for 155. I'm heavier, and I'm just doing more. I've never lifted weights in my life, and now I'm lifting weights twice a week. I'm also taking supplements; I'm taking creatine, and I'm heavier. So let's see how my body responds. I think Charles is the perfect test to see if I belong at 155.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you expect Lopes to do well at 155 pounds? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Raoni Barcelos still has no diagnosis after losing consciousness in UFC fight

Published

16 hours ago

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October 16, 2026

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Raoni Barcelos still has no diagnosis after losing consciousness in UFC fight
Raoni
Barcelos says medical testing has yet to determine why he lost
consciousness during his
Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner against Raul Rosas
Jr.

Barcelos faced Rosas Jr. in the main event of
UFC Vegas 121 last month. The Brazilian led on the judges'
scorecards entering the fifth round but lost consciousness during a
grappling exchange against the fence. Rosas Jr. was awarded a
technical knockout victory, and the 39-year-old Barcelos was
transported to a Level 1 trauma center.

Raoni Barcelos undergoes medical tests after losing
consciousness against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121

Barcelos said he is undergoing tests in Las Vegas to determine what
happened. He hopes to continue fighting but has not ruled out
retirement.

“Unfortunately, we don't know what happened,†Barcelos told MMA
Fighting. “It was a sudden illness. I fell ill and I felt my whole
body really starting to go numb. After that, I don't remember
anything. I only remember [arriving] in the ambulance, asking my
father what happened, and him trying to explain it as best as he
could. It really was an unfortunate [circumstance]. I got sick and
to this day we still don't understand. I'm undergoing a battery of
tests here in [Las] Vegas. I had another on Monday and we're
waiting for a good result. The doctor hasn't released the results
yet and everything is being kept confidential. But I feel better
every day.â€

Barcelos (22-6) entered the bout on a five-fight winning streak. He
has competed in the UFC since 2018, compiling an 11-5 promotional
record with victories over Said
Nurmagomedov, Cody
Garbrandt and Payton
Talbott.

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MMA

Brand Risk 16 Results: West vs. Beasley

Published

17 hours ago

on

October 16, 2026

By

Brand Risk 16 Results: West vs. Beasley

MMA Fighting has Brand Risk 16 results for the West vs. Beasley fight card and more from the Brand Risk Warehouse in Miami, Fla., on Friday night.

In the most notable fight, NBA veterans Delonte West and Michael Beasley clash in a heavyweight boxing fight.

Deshae Frost and YK Osiris is the new main event after Wendy Ortiz failed to clear medicals for the Florida State Athletic Commission to postpone her clash against Yera, according to a statement by Brand Risk.

The fight between King Azoulay and Supa Hot Fire was not approved by the commission as well.

Check out the Brand Risk 16 results below.

Main card (MMA Fighting at 8 p.m. ET)

Deshae Frost vs. YK Osiris

Amanda Solis vs. Mysterious

Ashley Trevino vs. Bree Olsen

Delonte West vs. Michael Beasley

Jack Doherty vs. Kodiyak Redd

Scam Likely vs. Ashley Bak-Su

AP the Fighter vs. Isaac Taylor

Bob Menery vs. Big Zo (MMA)

Jeremy Smith vs. Flysoulja (MMA)

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