Why aren't more TKD style kicks used in the ufc?

[ysc87]

the rules are designed to limit grapplers. think about the reason why the rules are there.

good grapplers with decent striking ability come out on top, and the rules are designed to keep it interesting. as said, fighting in its natural style favors grappling. most rules are made so certain things do not give one an overly dominant position over the other.

the rules favor strikers, the competition itself favors grapplers.

in the end, the more you know in both, they better you are.

[Muaythaiboxer]

i dident know elbows had been taken out of the ufc.

[Belasko]

one reason that has been mentioned repeatedly is that TKD kicks are too slow or telegraph. I think the kicks in question are the roundhouse or heelkicks, both of which are slow and leave you open, plus if it is to the head it puts you way off balance. What about side kicks or spin kicks. I've only seen one UFC fight but both of these were in it. What I'm getting at is that the popular, flashy kicks aren't always practical.

[Gumbi]

MuayThaiBoxer:

Elbows are illegal when thrown leading with the point of the elbow. Fighters still get away with throwing elbows in the guard, so long as they dont lead with the elbow. They call them forearm strikes and are able to get around the rules that way.

As far as TKD kicks being too slow or telegraphing, I think its the opposite. The kicks may be fast, but lack any real power behind them to do significant damage.

Roundhouse kicks are the workhorse of MMA as they have been very successfull. Side kicks have not been very successfull, not to mention that fighting with a side stance, commonly seen in karate point sparring competitions, is not a good idea in MMA. Spin kicks simply take too long to be relied on.

[Superfoot]

Any technique can be used effectively, if used by a person who has enough training in that technique, and enough faith. Strategy is setting up the technique is also vital, in addition to manipulating the fight situation to provide good distance and timing.

Guy Mezger is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do (Chung Do Kwan) and uses TKD style kicks in some of his fights:

Against Wanderlei Silva: Lead Roundhouse Kick to the head

Against Sakuraba: Lead Side Kick to the body and Lead Roundhouse to the head.

Thats all I have seen, but there may be more.

High Kicks are techniques that require a lot of commitment, especially when the costs of throwing one possibly outweigh the benefits. A high kick can be avoided and possibly create an opening for a takedown, such as grabbing the leg, and using a heel trip or even a shooting takedown (if the high kick is not thrown fast enough or set up properly). However, this could be argued against. Shooting for a takedown past a moving kick also carries high risk, as does trying to grab one.

TKD kicks are most likely not used as there are not many TKD practitioners in mixed martial arts, the most notable being Guy Mezger and Vernon White. Some mixed martial artists have taken TKD growing up. To many, Muay Thai striking as a whole seems to be more practical at close range (clinching) medium range (low kicking) and maybe even long range (MT round kick) The rear MT round kick is swung as opposed to snapped like the rear TKD round kick, and hence, even if blocked, a lot of force is still transferred. A TKD kick could knock someone out, but if blocked, the effects could be negated. Bear in mind this may not be true for all martial artists. If an individual trained a TKD round kick for power for a lengthy time, there is no reason why it cannot break through the guard.

Another reason might be the training. There are very few places that teach just the striking aspect of Taekwondo. Many school teach patterns which some people do not feel are necessary for combat training, and might be considered a waste of time. Kum Gek Do is a new martial art that dubbed as Korean Kickboxing utilises the kicking techniques of both TKD and Muay Thai. At the moment, it's headquarters are in Wales. If this style comes into prominence, maybe more TKD kicks maybe seen in the world of MMA.