Dan Hardy is highly regarded as an analyst in the MMA world. The former UFC welterweight title challenger has a good grasp of techniques and knows his striking very well.
He appeared on the very popular Australian MMA YouTube channel ‘Submission Radio‘ where he was asked about the oblique kick. The subject was brought up because Khalil Rountree won his fight against Modestas Bukauskas using the technique, injuring his opponent in the process.
“It shouldn’t be banned,” Hardy said (transcription via Denis Shkuratov). “It’s an effective technique. If we start banning effective techniques, then we’re going to find ourselves with a very, very limited rule set. I think that we need to recognize that it’s an occupational hazard. On football fields, rugby pitches, up and down, around the world on a weekend basis, people are getting their knees destroyed in the same way that Modestas did. It happens very rarely in MMA. Anybody that says it should be banned, have them name three people that it’s happened to because it’s very difficult to recall any time when it actually happens in MMA.”
Dan Hardy brings up a great point. It isn't often that fights are stopped using this technique.
The oblique kick became well known through Jon Jones. The former light heavyweight champion has been utilizing this technique for years and it has been considered controversial due to the potential injuries it causes.
Rampage Jackson claims the kick injured his knees when he fought Jones and things haven't been the same since. Hardy still doesn't see a problem with some of the more dangerous techniques.
“It’s the same as knees to the head on the ground as well,” Hardy said. “For every now and then when they do land, there are so many times when they don’t. It’s one of those techniques that’s very difficult to land. It’s more beneficial to throw it earlier in the fight when the leg’s a bit dryer and those kinds of things, but it’s such a difficult thing to land in the first place, if you can stop a fight with it, then well done. I have no problem with it.”
Dan Hardy gets annoyed hearing other fighters mention that the kick should be illegal. He believes injuries are part of the game and you should be prepared to die when you step into the cage.
“I can’t even believe that it’s been brought up as something that we should consider banning,” Hardy said. “It fries my brain. Honestly, it does. And the fact that professional fighters would come out and say it, you’re in the wrong sport. You’re doing the wrong thing if you’re concerned about picking up a knee injury. You know what you’re doing when you get in there. You sign a death waiver when you’re stepping in there to fight. Suck it up.”
Hardy believes there are plenty of techniques that are dangerous and can cause injuries. Certain submissions, as well as strikes to the head, are all dangerous.
Don't expect Hardy to want any of these techniques banned. It's all part of the game for him.
“It’s a part of the sport,” Hardy said. “We are literally in there to try and take each other’s head off. You’re not pulling punches. You’re not thinking about what the damage is doing to the person’s brain when you’re kicking them and elbowing them and those kinds of things. I would much rather be dealing with a knee injury than a serious concussion. They’re the kind of things that we really have to take into consideration.
“Superficial damage, knee injuries, elbows, those kinds of things, I have no problem with them at all. It’s a part of the sport, it’s a part of the industry, it happens all the time in other sports and fight sports first and foremost is about destroying other human beings. Let’s not water it down and sanitize it, let’s note it for what it is. It’s professional violence and that’s why we love it so much because it’s on the edge of life-threatening.”
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