Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Calls for ‘Sinister’ Move To Be Banned, Points to Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Case
Over the years, Daniel Cormier has felt it. So has Stipe Miocic, along with several other fighters.
The nasty oblique kick popularized by Jon Jones has left its mark on some of MMA’s biggest names, and every now and then, the technique sparks another uproar across the sport.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson sounded the alarm over the kick during his UFC days, and now, following California State Athletic Commission’s Andy Foster calling for the move to be banned, UFC legend Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is adding his voice to the growing chorus. Only this time, the 43-year-old welterweight has a particularly concerning case to point to: Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Stephen Thompson Speaks Out on Oblique Kicks
Thompson’s opposition to the technique is not coming from someone who has only watched it from the outside. The former UFC welterweight title challenger has been on the receiving end of oblique kicks himself, and that experience appears to have shaped his view of where the line should be drawn.
For him, the issue is not simply whether the technique is effective. Rather, it is what could happen when that effectiveness comes at the expense of a fighter’s knee. “I don’t know why they call it an oblique kick, but I think that’s what damaged Shavkat (Rakhmonov). That thing ruins careers,” he started his take, pointing to the Kazakh fighter’s injury-induced hiatus.
The Rakhmonov example is particularly important to Thompson because the undefeated welterweight has been dealing with injuries since his December 2024 fight with Ian Machado Garry, particularly after the Irish fighter caught Rakhmonov square on the knee.
Although, he won that fight by unanimous decision, he has not competed since, with knee issues ultimately forcing him out of his planned UFC 310 title opportunity against Belal Muhammad. Thompson believes that should force the sport to have a serious conversation about the technique.
“I was on the receiving end of it. And I was like, ‘Man, get rid of this thing because it could end careers.’ It’s doing that right now,” Thompson told Full Mount MMA.
Oblique Kicks Not Banned Yet, Controversy Remains
That said, oblique kicks remain legal in MMA, and is an integral part of fighters like Jones, Robert Whittaker’s game to control distance.
The recent debate intensified after California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster recently pushed for the technique to be discussed as a potential foul. The head executive pointed to the long recovery periods associated with certain knee injuries, and interestingly enough, UFC CEO Dana White also backed the idea of discussing a potential ban.
However, as things stand, any universal change would require a modification to the Unified Rules and adoption by the relevant athletic commissions. And Thompson, for his part, wants that discussion to happen before more fighters potentially pay the price.
“As of right now, it’s a legal technique; we got to go back to the drawing board and be like, you know what, ‘Yes, I want to go out there and win this fight, but I don’t want to end guys’ careers.’ There’s something sinister about that.”
In hindsight, the concern goes beyond Rakhmonov. “Look at Shavkat Rakhmonov right now; look where he is at. When was the last time that he has fought and he still deals with these injuries when he fought Ian (Garry),” he added after briefly mentioning Nursulton Ruziboev’s UFC Paris bout against Michael “Venom” Page, where the Uzbek suffered a knee injury.
“There should be some State Athletic Commission talking about this because you’re going to have more and more people doing it, and you’re going to see more people’s careers because or sitting on the sidelines for years to come because of these injuries.”
From Jones to Rakhmonov, Oblique Kicks Have Left Their Mark
For the unversed, the argument over oblique kicks is hardly new. Jones, the former UFC two-division champion made the technique one of the most recognizable weapons in MMA during his dominant run at light heavyweight.
He effectively used of the kick against the likes of DC, Miocic, “Rampage” Jackson etc, to establish distance between his opponent or often to stun them midway through a sequence.
The most notorious example came in 2021, when Khalil Rountree Jr. stopped Modestas Bukauskas with a kick that badly damaged Bukauskas’ knee. The Lithuanian was subsequently sidelined for an extended period.
More recently, Ruziboev suffered a serious knee injury after MVP used an oblique kick against him at UFC Paris. In the aftermath, Ruziboev required surgery, although the circumstances surrounding the injury were more complicated than simply attributing it to one strike.
Aljamain Sterling in Favor of Oblique Kicks
There's another side to the argument, and former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has been particularly vocal about it. Recently, during an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Sterling pushed back strongly against the idea of banning the technique, arguing that MMA already permits techniques capable of causing severe damage.
“(Andy Foster) has gotta stop with this bullsh*t,” he said. His argument was essentially that fighters have a responsibility to defend themselves against legal techniques, rather than asking regulators to remove them from the sport.
“An oblique kick? Move your leg out the f**king way,” Sterling lambasted. “How about that? How about you practice the technique of moving your leg out of the way?” That puts Sterling and Thompson on opposite sides of a debate that is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
