Wrist lock

Last updated: June 27, 2026

What is a wrist lock?

A wrist lock attacks the wrist joint, and often the radioulnar joints of the forearm, by bending or rotating the hand into a position it was never built to reach. The attacker grabs the opponent’s hand and either folds it toward the inside of the forearm or twists it until the joint runs out of room. Once that limit is hit, any extra pressure goes straight into the ligaments and bones.

The technique did not start in MMA. It comes from older grappling and self-defense arts, including Japanese jujutsu, aikido, and catch wrestling, where it was used to control or disarm an attacker. Brazilian jiu-jitsu picked it up too, and that is where most MMA fighters first run into it. In BJJ, it is often called the mão de vaca, Portuguese for “cow’s hand.”

Among joint locks, the wrist lock sits at the far end of the scale. An armbar attacks the elbow, a kimura the shoulder, a kneebar the knee. The wrist lock goes after one of the smallest workable targets on the body, which makes it both quick to finish and easy to miss.

How a wrist lock works

The wrist barely rotates on its own. Most of what looks like a twisting wrist is actually the radius and ulna turning in the forearm. A wrist lock exploits that. Push the hand into deep flexion, twist it into supination or pronation, and the slack disappears fast.

The catch is that the wrist alone is hard to attack. The hand can spin, and the arm can follow it, which relieves the pressure. So the attacker has to take that escape route away first, usually by pinning the elbow or trapping the arm so the joint has nowhere to go. With the arm fixed, even a small bend of the hand becomes a finish.

Types of wrist locks

Most wrist locks fall into two families, based on whether they bend the wrist or rotate it.

Type	Also known as	What it does
Rotational (twisting)	Kote hineri; supinating version kote gaeshi, pronating version nikyo	Twists the hand inward or outward until the forearm bones reach their limit
Hyperflexing (bending)	Gooseneck; tekubi gatame	Folds the hand toward the inside of the forearm, often paired with a twist for extra pressure

The supinating wrist lock, which turns the thumb away from the opponent, is the version most people picture. The gooseneck, named for the shape the bent hand makes, is common as a control hold because pressure can be added gradually.

Wrist lock vs small joint manipulation

This is where most of the confusion lives. Many fans assume wrist locks are banned in the cage. They are not. What is banned is small joint manipulation, which means grabbing and twisting an opponent’s fingers or toes.

Under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the wrist is treated as a large joint, in the same legal category as the elbow, knee, and ankle. Large-joint locks are all legal. Small joints, the fingers and toes, are off limits, the same way eye gouging is, because they break easily and offer no real defensive value.

	Wrist lock	Small joint manipulation
Target	The wrist (a large joint)	Fingers and toes
Legal in MMA?	Yes, in most promotions	No, it is a foul
Why the rule exists	Treated like any other large-joint submission	Tiny joints break too easily to allow

The grey area is that a fighter twisting a wrist can drift into grabbing fingers, which is why referees watch hand-fighting closely.

Why wrist locks are rare in MMA

If they are legal, why do you almost never see one in the UFC? The gear is the main reason. MMA gloves and the wrist wraps underneath them brace the joint, holding it in roughly the position a wrist lock is trying to break. A wrapped, gloved wrist simply does not bend far enough.

There is also the grip problem. Fighters are not allowed to grab the gloves or the fingers, which removes the easiest handle for setting up the lock. On top of that, isolating a wrist takes two hands, and tying up both of your hands in the cage leaves the other fighter free to punch you in the face.

The last factor is the fighters themselves. A wrist lock is a low-percentage attack, so most fighters reach for a choke or a bigger joint lock instead. And many competitors will let a wrist bend a long way before tapping, especially since broken hands and wrists already happen from punching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are wrist locks legal in the UFC?

Yes. The wrist counts as a large joint under the Unified Rules, so wrist locks are allowed. The illegal technique is small joint manipulation, which covers fingers and toes.

Has anyone won a UFC fight with a wrist lock?

A clean wrist-lock finish in the UFC is essentially unheard of. The gloves, the wraps, and the difficulty of isolating the joint make it one of the least practical submissions in the cage.

Does a wrist lock hurt?

Yes, and it comes on fast. Because the joint has so little give, the gap between feeling pressure and risking a break is small, which is why training partners are told to apply it slowly.

What is a wrist lock called in BJJ?

It is often called the mão de vaca, Portuguese for “cow’s hand.” You may also hear specific versions named after their aikido roots, such as kote gaeshi.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Wristlock.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wristlock
2. Sportskeeda. “Which moves are illegal in the UFC?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/which-moves-illegal-ufc
3. BjjTribes. “Do wrist locks work in MMA & why are they uncommon in UFC?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjjtribes.com/2020/12/08/do-wrist-locks-work-in-mma-why-are-they-uncommon-in-ufc/
4. Evolve MMA. “Here’s What You Need To Know About Wrist Locks In BJJ.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-wrist-locks-in-bjj/
5. NAGA Fighter. “How to Do Wrist Lock in BJJ?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.nagafighter.com/how-to-do-wrist-lock-in-bjj/
6. Bleacher Report. “The 25 Most Painful Submissions in MMA.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bleacherreport.com/articles/896365-the-25-most-painful-submissions-in-mma

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