Low Kick

Last updated: May 25, 2026

What is a low kick?

Any kick thrown below the waist that targets the opponent’s leg qualifies as a low kick, typically landing on the calf, the thigh, or the area just above or below the knee. In MMA, the term is used interchangeably with “leg kick,” and both are umbrella terms that cover several variations: the outside thigh kick, the inside thigh kick, the calf kick, and the oblique kick to the knee.

The technique was carried into mixed martial arts from Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing, where it has been a primary weapon for decades. Wikipedia notes that low kicks appear in numerous full-contact disciplines, including kickboxing, sanshou, Muay Thai, full-contact karate, and MMA. Each style adjusts the mechanics slightly.

The purpose of a low kick is rarely a one-shot knockout. It is a tool of attrition. Repeated strikes to the same area swell the muscle, compromise nerve function, and slow the opponent down. By the third round of a fight, an opponent who has eaten clean low kicks often cannot push off their lead leg or move laterally, which opens up everything else in the striker’s arsenal.

How a low kick works

The contact point is usually the shin, sometimes the instep, landing against the opponent’s leg muscle, nerve pathways, or soft tissue. Power comes from a full-body rotation that begins at the hips and travels through the kicking leg, with the shin acting as the contact point in most Muay Thai-influenced MMA strikers. Kickboxers and karateka tend to land more often with the instep or upper foot.

Two anatomical targets matter most. The sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down through the buttocks and into the leg, is the longest nerve in the human body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Repeated low kicks to the outside of the thigh can disturb this nerve and cause the leg to feel heavy or numb. The common peroneal nerve, also called the fibular nerve, sits close to the surface on the outside of the lower leg just below the knee. This is the nerve a calf kick targets directly, and because it has almost no muscle protection at that point, even a moderate kick can cause temporary loss of motor control in the foot.

That is the mechanical story. The strategic one is simpler: damage the legs and the opponent loses everything that depends on the legs, which is most of what happens in a fight.

Types of low kicks

There are four variations of the low kick that show up regularly in modern MMA. Each one targets a different part of the leg and serves a slightly different purpose.

Type	Target	Primary purpose
Outside leg kick	Outside of the lead thigh	Damages the quadriceps and disturbs the sciatic nerve over time
Inside leg kick	Inside of the lead thigh	Buckles the base and disrupts forward movement
Calf kick	Outside of the lead calf, just below the knee	Attacks the common peroneal nerve and impairs balance
Oblique kick	Front of the knee or quadriceps	Stops forward pressure and damages the joint

The calf kick is the newest of the four to gain widespread use in MMA. It became a high-profile weapon at UFC 215 in September 2017, when Jeremy Stephens wrecked Gilbert Melendez’s lead leg with it, and again at UFC 257 in January 2021, when Dustin Poirier dropped Conor McGregor partly on the back of repeated calf kicks. The oblique kick has long been associated with Jon Jones, who has used it to disrupt opponents’ forward pressure throughout his title runs.

Low kick vs. leg kick vs. calf kick

This is the most common point of confusion for newer MMA fans, partly because commentators use the three terms loosely.

“Low kick” and “leg kick” mean the same thing. Both are general terms for any kick thrown to the opponent’s leg below the waist. They cover everything from a thigh kick to a calf kick to an oblique stomp.

A “calf kick” is a specific type of low kick. It targets the outside of the lead calf, just below the knee, and aims at the common peroneal nerve rather than the larger muscle of the thigh.

So every calf kick is a low kick, but not every low kick is a calf kick. The distinction matters in commentary. A commentator saying “he’s been attacking the legs all night” usually means a mix of techniques, while “the calf kicks are doing damage” points to the specific weapon being used.

How fighters defend against low kicks

Fighters have three options when a low kick comes in. They can check it, they can catch it, or they can move out of range.

Checking is the most common. The defender lifts the front leg and turns the shin outward so that the attacker’s shin or foot collides with the hard upper portion of the defender’s shinbone or knee. A well-timed check transfers the force back into the attacker’s leg and, in extreme cases, can break it. Anderson Silva fractured his tibia and fibula on a checked leg kick against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013, in one of the most replayed injuries in MMA history. The same thing happened to Weidman himself at UFC 261 in 2021, when Uriah Hall checked his inside leg kick.

Catching the kick is a second option. The defender intercepts the kicker’s leg as it arrives, traps it under the arm, and uses the position to set up a takedown or counterstrike. This requires precise timing and works best against thigh kicks.

Evasion is the third response. The defender either pulls the lead leg back, steps off the line of the kick, or moves out of range entirely. Evasion is generally safer than checking against the calf kick, specifically, because the calf kick targets a low point that is hard to check cleanly from a bladed MMA stance.

Defense against the calf kick is still an open problem in the sport. Many MMA stances are bladed, with weight on the lead leg, which makes the lead calf a fixed and exposed target. Coaches have been working on stance adjustments since the Poirier-McGregor fight, but no defensive technique has solved the problem completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are low kicks legal in MMA?

Yes. Low kicks to the thigh and calf are legal under the Unified Rules of MMA, which govern the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and most major North American promotions. Groin kicks and kicks to the head of a downed opponent are illegal.

What nerve does a calf kick target?

The common peroneal nerve, also called the fibular nerve. It sits close to the surface on the outside of the lower leg, just below the knee, and controls movement and sensation in parts of the foot and lower leg.

Why are calf kicks so effective in MMA?

The lead calf is exposed in most MMA stances, the nerve sits near the skin with little muscle protection, and the swelling that follows has nowhere to dissipate. Dustin Poirier described his own experience with calf kick damage as compartment syndrome, a condition where pressure inside the leg becomes severe enough to require medical attention.

What is the difference between a low kick and a roundhouse?

A roundhouse describes the motion of the kick: a circular path from the hip. A low kick describes the target: the opponent’s leg. Most low kicks in MMA are thrown as roundhouses, but a low kick can also be delivered with an oblique or stomping motion.

Are low kicks more effective than head kicks?

They are more reliable. Head kicks are higher-risk, higher-reward strikes that can end a fight instantly but rarely land cleanly against trained opposition. Low kicks land more often, accumulate damage over rounds, and have decided dozens of UFC fights by stoppage or unanimous decision.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Low kick.” Accessed May 2026.
2. Mayo Clinic. “Sciatica: Symptoms and Causes.” Accessed May 2026.
3. CBS Sports. “UFC 168: Chris Weidman wins via TKO after Anderson Silva breaks leg.” December 2013.
4. MMA Junkie. “Today in MMA history: The Silva leg break heard ‘round the world.” December 2025.
5. Al Jazeera. “Poirier stuns McGregor in 2nd round at UFC 257 upset.” January 2021.
6. Sportskeeda. “Dustin Poirier explains why calf kicks hurt Conor McGregor so badly.” 2021.
7. Mixed Martial Arts. “Calf kick knockout highlights” (Brian Sutterer MD analysis). 2024.
8. Association of Boxing Commissions. “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.”

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