Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is one of the most creative and ruthless fighters in the UFC, but his fighting style has drawn plenty of criticism from fans and fighters alike.
Count Quinton Jackson among that group.
The veteran MMA legend has an issue with Jones’ trademark “oblique kick” to the knee, an effective move that the champion has used to frustrate and damage many opponents.
As “Rampage” Jackson tells ESPN, he views the tactic as a move that should be banned under the current Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts:
It should be called the illegal kick. It should be banned and it shows a lot about the fighter’s character that he would throw it. How would he like it if somebody threw it at him and stopped him working for a year?
I thought it was an illegal move. I think spinning elbows should be illegal too because they land on the back of the head. But I appreciate a good fight, a good scrap, I just wonder which rule fighters will bend next.
Jackson found himself on the receiving end of Jones’ kicks many times during their UFC 135 title fight, as “Bones” slowed down his opponent with that attack over four rounds.
Once Jackson was reduced to limping after his opponent, Jones eventually scored the finish with a takedown and a rear-naked choke.
That same strategy might even come into play once Jones faces Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, as crippling knee strikes could hamper Sonnen‘s takedown ability.
Due to the force and unique angle of those knee strikes, fans and pundits have argued about the legality of the move, with Jackson himself telling The MMA Hour that the tactic was dishonorable.
For sake of argument, the only foul descriptors under current MMA rules that could lend credence to Jackson’s claims are”small joint manipulation” and “any unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to opponent“—although the crux of the former rule is whether or not the knee qualifies as a small joint.
At least Jackson likely won’t have to worry about oblique kicks in his upcoming UFC on Fox 6 bout with Glover Teixeira, as the two are currently set to clash in the co-main event of this Saturday’s card at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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