Should vertical elbows be legal?

[achillesthegreat]

Vote and discuss.

[BewareofDawg]

No absolutely not

Reason: this is a sport and they are too unnecessarily dangerous. Same reason socker kicks and stomps, and biting and groin hitting are all illegal as well.

[codeman99998]

I think I'd allow kicks on the ground before I'd allow those elbows. In the Hamil fight, it was like Jones was spearing Hamil in the face.

[scurlaruntings]

I prefer the old PRIDE rules. But in the cage there not practical. Downward strikes arent good. They can end fights earlier as well as cause severe damage to a fighter. Watching Hamil take those strikes in the face was painful.

[achillesthegreat]

Maybe guys should try to avoid those hooks then. If they get caught with them and the fight is stopped then that is their fault. Guys wouldn't use shut up shop as much if they know vertical elbows will be piercing their guard.

[BewareofDawg]

Maybe guys should try to avoid those hooks then. If they get caught with them and the fight is stopped then that is their fault. Guys wouldn't use shut up shop as much if they know vertical elbows will be piercing their guard.
There has to be rules though. this isn't street fighting, its a sport. This is why there are rules in american football too (no spearing, no collar tackles, etc)

[sugarngold]

I think they should be legal. Fighters need to learn to protect themselves from those attacks.

[achillesthegreat]

There has to be rules though. this isn't street fighting, its a sport. This is why there are rules in american football too (no spearing, no collar tackles, etc)

I agree. I don't think vertical elbows carry much less or more power than most elbows. It's not like guys don't get opened up big time on the ground and bleed the canvas red. These guys are forgetting the punches thrown from mount. How about the flying punches!

Stomping someones head on the ground is genuinely life threatening. I'm totally against them as this is a sport.

MMA fouls need to be looked at again I think.

[Messiah]

I voted yes by accident. I think all elbows should be banned. They encourage fighters to come into the clinch and look to open cuts with grazing blows and can lead to very noring fights against the cage (Couture-Vera) . When elbows are banned (Pride) fights tend to stay at longer range encouraging punching and kicking which leads to more exciting fights.IMO. :happy

[rusty nails]

theyre a legitimate technique. (albeit with more chance of opening someone up)
i cant see how they are any worse than a shin in the face.
i wish alot of the rules would be taken away.

[Koa]

If they are going to allow elbows, then fucking just allow them. TBH, you can deal MORE damage, with a horizontal elbow if you throw it in such a way that the elbow lands first, and not the forearm. You just generate more energy from twisting the torso, so it has the potential to do more damage.

[Dynamite Kid]

I voted no. Just because Jones messed up doesn't mean the sport has to change. Bottom line is it was a foul. Lots of guys throw elbows in the GNP. GSP comes to mind right now. You never see him coming with an illegal blow that he wasn't to sure would be legal or not. MMA already has a certain degree of brutality that alot of people don't approve of. Downward elbows wouldn't do the sport any good. Jones simply needs to look at the rule book again.

[achillesthegreat]

Sanchez opened Guida up with vertical elbows but he was on his back. It's highlight on countdown.

[Dynamite Kid]

Sanchez opened Guida up with vertical elbows but he was on his back. It's highlight on countdown.

Exactly, from his back. There are certain positions in MMA that a fighter can't take advantage of even if it means the other guy has the advantage.

Example:

When a fighter has a leg or a footlock, the fighter that has his joint being manipulated can't kick him.

So downward elbows shouldn't be allowed from the GNP. It's to much of an advantage for the guy in top position, on top of the fact the fighter in top position can probably cause enough damage with regular GNP.

[Pug1list]

No, far too dangerous, there would be some serious injuries.

[Strike]

Yes. But I agree about not allowing stamps etc. But elbows in Muay Thai do not often end careers. You are allowed to spike people or suplex them in a far more dangerous move than an elbow.

Look at when Randleman supplexed Fedor, that could easily have broken his neck and paralysed him.

I would ban that sort of move before banning elbows.

[Pug1list]

If they are going to allow elbows, then fucking just allow them. TBH, you can deal MORE damage, with a horizontal elbow if you throw it in such a way that the elbow lands first, and not the forearm. You just generate more energy from twisting the torso, so it has the potential to do more damage.

Yeah if you throw the perfect horizontal elbow, but every elbow thrown in the 12 to 6 motion has potential to do serious damage.

[achillesthegreat]

Yes. But I agree about not allowing stamps etc. But elbows in Muay Thai do not often end careers. You are allowed to spike people or suplex them in a far more dangerous move than an elbow.

Look at when Randleman supplexed Fedor, that could easily have broken his neck and paralysed him.

I would ban that sort of move before banning elbows.

According to the rules, you aren't allowed to land someone on their neck.

[The Priest]

:!:yes defo a good way to finish fight

[dublynflya]

Yeah if you throw the perfect horizontal elbow, but every elbow thrown in the 12 to 6 motion has potential to do serious damage.

:good In my humble opinion, the problem with the vertical elbow, when thrown at an opponents head is that it will almost always land on the top of an opponents head, and could easily hit the back of the head, as opposed to the horizontal elbow, which will almost always hit an opponent in the face or front of the head. The fact is that the rule is in place for a reason, and I for one am interested to learn exactly what that is. It is of course, for reasons of safety, but who exactly advised this rule and why? Are ALL vertical elbows, to ANY area of the body illegal? I am unsure of this (I am sure I have seen vertical elbows to thighs, but it may well have been an "Old" UFC that I was watching:-)), so please advise. To be honest I am not too disappointed that they are illegal, todays world class mma fighters have sufficient weapons in their arsenal to do serious damage without them and any blow that increases the risk of a serious blow to the top (And especially back) of the head can remain illegal for me. I'm sure plenty feel differently, but hey this site would be crap if we all agreed:-).

[achillesthegreat]

12-6 from top guard seems the only thing illegal.

[Koa]

Yeah if you throw the perfect horizontal elbow, but every elbow thrown in the 12 to 6 motion has potential to do serious damage.

Well you just help my point.. These strikes are supposed to be about potential damage.

If anything, the 12-6 motion is going to cut someone up, very badly and very quickly, but this is part of the MMA game that the UFC decided to include in their GnP, as elbow strikes from any position tend to cause a lot of cuts.

I could care less if elbows are allowed or not. If they are allowed, then they should be allowed.

[achillesthegreat]

Allow the elbow. If the guy gets cut open, stop the fight and he loses. Guys will then start being more wary of staying on their back forever or not moving their head, popping their hips etc