Dana White has thrown his weight behind a rumored plan to ban oblique kicks from mixed martial arts.

Oblique kicks are essentially stomps to the knee of an opponent that became more commonly used after Jon Jones integrated them into his striking arsenal during his highly successful career.

The problem is that the kick bring the risk of severe damage to the opponent’s knee due to hyperextending the surrounding ligaments.

A clear example of this occurred back in 2021 when Khalil Rountree landed an oblique kick to the left knee of Modestas Bukauskas, who immediately fell to the canvas in pain and had to be stretchered out of the Octagon, before going on to have surgery and spending 14 months out of action.

Following UFC 331 last weekend it emerged that California State Athletic Commission Director Andy Foster wants to ban oblique kicks in the unified MMA rules, and it seems that the UFC supports that idea.

“Listen, he’s the most powerful guy in the commission anywhere in the world, and he’s the best,” White said after the Contender Series last night. “And we don’t disagree.”

It’s rare for commonly seen moves in the sport to be made illegal these days, so it’ll be interesting to see if this major change to the rules does go through.