Body Kick

Last updated: May 12, 2026

What is a body kick?

A body kick is any kick aimed at the opponent’s midsection in mixed martial arts. The target area runs from just below the chest to just above the hips, taking in the ribcage, the liver on the right side of the abdomen, the solar plexus at the centre, and the floating ribs at the lower edge.

Body kicks sit in the middle tier of a three-part kicking system that fighters and commentators use to describe where a kick lands. Low kicks target the legs. High kicks target the head. Body kicks target everything in between. In Muay Thai, the same strike is often called a “mid kick” for the same reason.

The kick belongs to a broader category of strikes known as body shots, which also includes punches, knees, and elbows to the torso. What separates the body kick is the force involved. Because the entire hip and leg rotate into the strike, a body kick generates more raw power than any other strike to the same target.

How a body kick works

Most of what fans see as a body kick is a roundhouse: the leg travels in an arc, and the kicker pivots on the supporting foot. The striking surface is usually the shin rather than the foot, because the shin is denser and less likely to break against a rib or an elbow.

Two styles dominate the technique. In the Muay Thai version, the leg rises from the canvas in an almost straight upward path before turning over and connecting with the torso. Power comes from hip rotation and weight transfer rather than any snap of the lower leg. In the karate version, the leg cuts a wider horizontal arc and the kicker snaps at the knee, prioritising speed and precision over raw power.

A southpaw kicking from the rear has a built-in advantage on the liver. Because the liver sits on the right side of the abdomen, a left rear kick lands directly on it when the opponent is in an orthodox stance. It is not unusual for a right-handed fighter to throw a more powerful left kick than right kick, since the strength of the standing leg matters more for power than the kicking leg itself.

Front kicks and side kicks to the body work differently. A front kick travels in a straight line and lands with the ball of the foot or the heel, often targeting the solar plexus to knock the wind out of an opponent. Anderson Silva used this version to knock out Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. A side kick lands with the heel or the edge of the foot and is usually used to keep an opponent at distance rather than to finish a fight.

Types of body kicks in MMA

Type	Description	Primary targets	Notable users
Roundhouse to the body	A circular kick that lands with the shin. The most common body kick in MMA. Generates significant power through hip rotation.	Ribs, liver, floating ribs	Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Edson Barboza
Front kick to the body	A straight-line kick that lands with the ball of the foot or heel. Sometimes called a push kick or, in Muay Thai, a teep.	Solar plexus, lower abdomen	Robert Whittaker, Jon Jones
Side kick to the body	A kick thrown sideways with the heel as the striking surface. Used more to manage distance than to finish.	Ribs, solar plexus	Stephen Thompson
Spinning back kick to the body	A back kick delivered with rotational power. High-risk, high-reward.	Solar plexus, ribs	Edson Barboza

Body kick vs. leg kick vs. head kick

The three tiers of the MMA kicking system damage an opponent in different ways.

	Leg kick	Body kick	Head kick
Target	Thigh or calf	Torso (ribs, liver, solar plexus)	Head and neck
Main effect	Cumulative damage to mobility	Organ trauma, breathing disruption, stamina drain	Concussion, knockout
Risk to the kicker	Can be checked with the shin	Can be caught and turned into a takedown	Can be slipped, leaving the kicker turned away
Frequency in MMA	The most common kick type	Less common than leg or head kicks	Common, often in highlight finishes
Typical outcome	Wins through accumulation	Wins through accumulation or sudden liver shot collapse	Wins through clean knockout

A leg kick chips away at an opponent’s ability to move. A body kick drains the air and the will to keep fighting. A head kick ends the night. Only the body kick can do both: it accumulates damage over rounds, and a clean strike to the liver can end a fight outright.

Why body kicks are less common in MMA

Risk explains why body kicks are far less common in MMA than low kicks and head kicks. A body kick commits the kicker’s full hip into the strike, which leaves the leg extended and reachable for a fraction of a second too long. An opponent who reads the kick can catch the leg and take the kicker down before the supporting foot resets.

The consequences are steeper in MMA than in Muay Thai or kickboxing. A caught kick in Muay Thai results at worst in a sweep or counter kick that lets your opponent rebalance the scorecards. In MMA, a caught kick can put a fighter on their back for an extended period after a single poorly set-up attempt. Fighters who rely heavily on the technique tend to either be exceptional strikers with strong takedown defence (Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida) or pair the kick with disciplined set-ups that hide the commitment.

There is also a stylistic explanation. Calf kicks and head kicks both reward a fighter who finds the right opening, but they involve less hip extension and recover faster. A fighter weighing whether to throw a body kick is choosing between high reward and high exposure, and many opt for the lower-risk strike.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are body kicks legal in MMA?

Yes. Body kicks are legal in every major MMA promotion, including the UFC, under the Unified Rules of MMA. The torso is a valid target. Only strikes to the groin, spine, kidneys, and back of the head are off-limits, none of which apply to a standard body kick.

What is the difference between a body kick and a mid kick?

There is no real difference. “Mid kick” is the Muay Thai term for a roundhouse kick to the body. In MMA commentary, “body kick” is the more common phrasing, but the strike and the target are the same.

Can a body kick knock someone out?

A body kick rarely produces an unconscious knockout in the way a head strike does. It can, however, force a TKO when a clean strike compresses the liver. The liver shot triggers a vasovagal response: heart rate drops, blood pressure falls, and the receiving fighter collapses, conscious but unable to stand. Bas Rutten and Anthony Pettis both have liver-kick stoppage wins on their records.

Why is the liver such a common target for body kicks?

The liver sits on the right side of the abdomen, partly exposed below the lower ribs. A clean strike here stimulates the vagus nerve, which regulates heart rate and blood pressure, and produces a body-wide shutdown that no amount of conditioning can override. Southpaw fighters have a natural angle on the liver from their rear kick, which is one reason the southpaw stance is over-represented among elite kickers.

What part of the foot is used for a body kick?

In a roundhouse body kick, the shin is the contact point. The shin is denser than the foot and less likely to fracture if the kick connects with an elbow or a rib. In a front kick to the body, the ball of the foot or the heel makes contact. In a side kick, the heel or the outer edge of the foot lands the strike.

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Sources

1. The Fight Site. “MMA Basics: Kicking.” December 2019.
2. Sweet Science of Fighting. “Most Effective MMA Kicks.” June 2023.
3. ONE Championship. “7 Effective Kicks For MMA.” May 2022.
4. Bloody Elbow. “Essential MMA techniques #2: Kicks to the body.” August 2019.
5. Evolve MMA. “5 Basic Kicks For MMA.” March 2022.
6. Wikipedia. “Kick.” Accessed May 2026.
7. Speak MMA. “Body Shot.” Accessed May 2026.

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