Question for people who fight mma? (proper knowledgeable opinions please)?

Question

In muay thai knee strikes to the quads aren't allowed. In an old tito ortiz vs vitor belfort (UFC 51) they keep doing that. So its allowed in mma?

i've got knee-d in my thigh before and it really kills you sometimes but these guys don't seem to be bothered? maybe they haven't been struck at that angle which really gets you, but they aren't really trying to protect themselves from it.

is there some way to condition your quads to strikes like that?

don't say its adrenaline because yes there are somethings adrenaline can over rule, but this is a different pain from getting rocked by a punch to the face or something.

thanks

Answer 1

Hmm. I am not to familiar with MMA from that long ago, so maybe the rules were different, because in UFC 1 there were virtually no rules. So maybe they developed a rule somewhere after that.

Answer 2

well if they did it im pretty sure its allowed...

i have never heard it is not allowed im mauy thai wen we do mauy thai classes and sparring we do that alot.

Answer 3

Yes knee strikes to the thigh are legal.  These guys train for this though.

You can turn your leg slightly, move it back a little, or even towards the strike to "stuff" it.  These help diminish the effect of the strike.

But they still hurt.

Striking to the thigh is similar to elbowing to the shoulders.  A few hard strikes to the shoulders and you will have a harder time keeping your guard up and throwing punches.

The trick is to not let your oppenent see that you are hurt.  Easier said than done though.

Answer 4

The first answer about deflection is most of the way there.

On top of the deflection, most fighters will move the leg back slightly to lower the effective speed (and resultant force) of the blow.

With both of these practises, any strike's effectiveness can be diminished.

But for those few blows that land, these guys train for that. They are hurt, but if they show it they only invite more attention to that weakened spot. "Finish the fight, ice it down later"

Answer 5

Its legal. Most of the time, fighters just turn their leg slightly to deflect the knee away from the meat of the thigh so it hurts less.