Why are headbutts illegal in MMA?

**Super8astard** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 11:50am

Originally Posted by 100xobm

Think about what this means for natural selection into MMA, bigger foreheads every UFC.

This is the future you dream of:

It's just not right. Frankly, MMA is gay enough without having people touching nicole kidman.

I'd love to touch Nicole Kidman...

**Super8astard** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 11:56am

Originally Posted by TaeBo_Master

Over the years, I'd say the bulk of contested decisions have been doctor stoppages due to cuts and the like.

Definately gonna have to disagree with that. Since UFC 1, and granted fights didn't really get stopped for anything other than a beatdown back then, I can only think of a few fights that have stopped due to a cut. I think everyone here can mention several fights with contested decisions in just the last year.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 12:58pm

How much do you think it'd change the game if they were legal? They're legal in lethwei but they've never really been decisive in any of the videos I've seen. Then again, they don't fight on the ground.

When guys like Mark Coleman and Brian Johnston talk about their fights back in the day, they usually say that allowing headbutts pretty much meant they could throw the top game of jiu-jitsu out the window. Coleman acknowledges, though, that he never fought any high-level jiu-jitsu guys early on in his career.

I think the game would change if headbutts were allowed again. Jon Jones actually tested the waters by throwing headbutts to Ryan Bader's chest, but got called out for it. Stuff like headbutts and rabbit punches were common back in the day, and fighters probably would have been trying to develop their use over the years had they been legal.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 2:16pm

Why are Head butts banned? To stop Glaswegians from employing their natural default setting...

**searcher66071** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 3:18pm

They removed them so the sport could grow, as has already been stated. Take a look at Daido Juku, it is just not getting very much growth(except in Russia) and I think it is due to the less rules. Fights get ended in Daido Juku matches by headbutt, but it would not draw a crowd like the UFC or any other Unified MMA sanctioned event. JMHO.

**Tom Kagan** · Posted On: 8/02/2011 10:00pm

Originally Posted by WhiteShark

No it is none of your ABC things. It is dumbass sanctioning that went on in the early Zuffa days when they were trying to get MMA sanctioned by the most states possible. Same reason for the utterly retarded 12-6 elbow rule.

Actually, Zuffa had nothing to do with it. They weren't involved with the UFC until more than a few years afterward.