Mixed martial arts (MMA) thrives on innovation. While solid fundamentals win fights, creativity often separates the best mixed martial artists from everyone else. Their creativity doesn’t just give them unorthodox ways to win fights; it draws in legions of loyal fans who have helped turn MMA into the fastest-growing combat sport today.
This article will dive into some of the most creative strikes ever used in mixed martial arts, the stories behind them, and ways to up your game by being more creative inside the cage.
Five Unorthodox Strikes That Left The Mixed Martial Artis World In Awe
Creativity always trumps predictability in MMA, as the recipients of the strikes on our list found out firsthand. Let’s get started:
1) Anthony Pettis’s “Showtime Kick”
Picture this: It’s the fifth round of a title fight as Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson battle for the WEC’s flyweight title. It was an extremely close contest until Pettis, the challenger, decided to jump off the cage and land a switch kick on Henderson’s head. It was the type of move you’d expect to see in a video game, not combat sports.
The strike didn’t just look cool; it secured the fifth round of the fight for Pettis, leading to a unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the fight 48-47. The technique has since been dubbed the “Showtime Kick.”
Pettis attempting something so audacious during the final round of a fight many people had even going into the fifth round shows how confident Pettis is in his creativity.
Takeaway: Creativity, timing, and confidence can elevate your MMA game. Learn to use the cage to your advantage and drill your fancy techniques until they become second nature. That way, you won’t hesitate to execute them when an opportunity presents itself.
2) Anderson Silva‘s Front Kick Against Vitor Belfort
A front kick isn’t an unorthodox technique, especially for those who train Muay Thai, yet no one used it during the early days of MMA until Silva left fans stunned after he finished Belfort with it.
Funny enough, this was one of the finishes that helped to propel Silva to iconic status as he landed a perfectly thrown front kick on Belfort’s chin. The finish fundamentally changed how fighters approached striking in mixed martial arts, proving the fundamental techniques from other styles like Muay Thai can be equally effective inside the cage.
Pro Tip: Basics win fights, so don’t be so quick to throw out fundamental techniques you learned from other combat styles simply because no one uses them in MMA. A technique not being popular in mixed martial arts doesn’t limit its effectiveness.
3) Joaquin Buckley’s Jumping Spinning Back Kick
Buckley scored one the most viral moments in mixed martial arts and many new fans when he did something no other fighter had ever done: launch into a spinning back kick after getting his leg caught.
The fight was competitive until Buckley’s left leg got caught after throwing a lazy roundhouse kick. He immediately launched into a jumping, spinning back kick that caught Kasanganay flush, sending him to the canvas face first.
Tip: The most effective strikes are those your opponents don’t see coming. Most fighters try to pull away or panic when their legs get caught, but Buckley leaned right into it and landed a finishing blow before Kasanganay could do anything.
While it’s okay to add techniques that are effective for other fighters inside the cage to your arsenal, you should also embrace your creativity and come up with unorthodox ways to accomplish the same goal.
4) Stamp Fairtex’s Unorthodox Liver Kick
Strikes aimed at the liver should be thrown with your left arm or leg, right? Well, someone forgot to tell Stamp Fairtex that when she landed a liver kick that left Alyse Anderson unable to continue fighting using her right foot.
While fighters are generally taught to target the liver with their left limbs, seasoned strikers like Stamp know how to create angles, allowing them to target any body part with either limb.
Stamp also dug her toes into Anderson’s liver as the kick connected, making its effects even more devastating. Digging your toes into opponents when throwing kicks at the body is common with experienced Nak Muay, but most MMA fighters don’t do it.
Training Tip: Don’t let the “rules” of fighting limit what you do inside the cage. Think of these rules as guidelines you should keep in the back of your mind. The beauty of this finish is that Alyse brought her hands toward her left side to defend against the kick before it made an impact, leaving her liver unprotected. She defended herself according to the “rules,” while Stamp didn’t allow them to limit her creativity.
5) Yair Rodriguez’s Upward Elbow
Rodriguez scored a memorable last-second upward elbow that no one saw coming during the final moments of his fight with Chan Sung Jung, the Korean Zombie.
The finish came after Yair ducked under a barrage of strikes thrown by Zombie and landed an upward elbow as he came back up. There was only a second left when the contest was stopped. Interestingly, Zombie was up on the judges’ scorecard and would have won a decision if not for the last-second knockout.
It was a fitting moment for Rodriquez, who has been one of the most creative fighters in MMA ever since his reality TV days.
The Lesson Here: Spend time working on unorthodox techniques that can change the momentum of a fight. Ducking under strikes is quite common in MMA, but no one ever thought of coming up with upward elbows afterward until Rodriquez did it. The technique remains underutilized in mixed martial arts despite clearly being effective.
Add Some Creative Strikes To Your Arsenal
While not every fight calls for showtime kicks, upward elbows, or jumping spinning back kicks, learning some unorthodox strikes will make you a more dangerous striker.
These moves add flair to your fighting style while keeping opponents guessing what comes next. Plus, landing a highlight-reel knockout feels fantastic. Practice, innovate, and don’t be scared to take risks.
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