Body Shot

Last updated: April 12, 2026

What is a body shot?

A body shot is any strike aimed at an opponent’s torso during a fight. In MMA, that means punches, kicks, knees, and elbows can all qualify as body shots, which separates the sport from boxing, where only punches to the torso count.

The torso contains organs and nerve clusters that respond to impact with sharp pain, breathing disruption, and loss of coordination. These effects accumulate over the course of a fight. A fighter who absorbs repeated body shots will slow down, struggle to breathe, and eventually drop their guard. The old boxing adage “kill the body and the head will die,” often attributed to Joe Frazier, captures this idea: sustained body work weakens an opponent to the point where finishing strikes to the head become much easier to land.

Body shots are widely considered underused in MMA. Most fighters prioritize head strikes because knockouts to the head produce more dramatic finishes. But getting past an opponent’s guard is difficult when both hands are up protecting the chin. The torso? Bigger target, and far less defended. Fighters who commit to body work, like Bas Rutten and Max Holloway, have consistently found success by making opponents pay for neglecting their midsection defense.

How body shots work

The torso contains several targets that respond differently to impact.

The liver sits on the right side of the abdomen, just below the ribcage and beneath the diaphragm. According to Wikipedia’s entry on liver shots, it sits under the ninth and tenth ribs and is the body’s largest internal organ. When a strike compresses the liver, it stimulates the vagus nerve, which connects the brainstem to major organs and regulates heart rate and blood pressure. This triggers what physiologists call a vasovagal response: heart rate drops, blood pressure falls, and the legs give out. The pain is immediate, but the systemic shutdown often takes one to three seconds to fully appear. Fighters who absorb a clean liver shot typically double over and collapse, fully conscious but unable to stand. No amount of willpower or physical conditioning can override this response.

The solar plexus sits at the center of the upper abdomen, just below the sternum. It is connected to the diaphragm through the phrenic nerve, and a hard strike here temporarily paralyzes that muscle, shutting down the body’s ability to draw air. Fighters describe the sensation as “having the wind knocked out.” It leaves them gasping, hunched over, and wide open.

The floating ribs, the two lowest pairs of ribs, lack the bony support of the upper ribcage. Repeated strikes to this area cause pain that worsens with each breath, because the intercostal muscles between the ribs become fatigued and inflamed. A fighter with damaged floating ribs cannot twist, pivot, or generate power on their strikes.

Types of body shots in MMA

MMA allows a wider range of body strikes than boxing does. The most common types fall into four categories.

Type	Description	Primary targets	Notable users
Body hook	A short, arcing punch delivered at close range. Often disguised within combinations by throwing strikes to the head first.	Liver, ribs	Max Holloway, Nick Diaz
Body kick	A roundhouse kick to the midsection. Generates far more force than punches because the entire hip and leg rotate into the strike. Southpaw fighters have a natural angle to the liver.	Ribs, liver	Anderson Silva, Anthony Pettis
Teep to the body	A pushing kick borrowed from Muay Thai. Less damaging per strike than a roundhouse but safer to throw and harder to counter. Used to manage distance and drain cardio over multiple rounds.	Solar plexus, lower abdomen	Jon Jones
Knees from the clinch	A pushing kick borrowed from Muay Thai. Less damaging per strike than a roundhouse, but safer to throw and harder to counter. Used to manage distance and drain cardio over multiple rounds.	Ribs, solar plexus	Bas Rutten

Body shots vs. head strikes

Head strikes and body strikes cause damage through different mechanisms.

	Body shots	Head strikes
Primary effect	Organ trauma, breathing disruption, stamina drain	Concussion, loss of consciousness
Time to take effect	Cumulative over rounds; liver shots are instant	Often instant on clean connection
Target size	Large (entire torso)	Small (head moves constantly)
Defense priority	Often instant on a clean connection	Heavily defended with hands, movement
Recovery	Liver shots: near-impossible to fight through. Rib/solar plexus: slow recovery over rounds	Flash knockdowns are recoverable; full KOs are not
Risk when throwing	Lowers the hands, exposing the chin	Telegraphed power shots can be countered

Fighters who mix head and body strikes are harder to defend against because the opponent cannot predict where the next attack will land. A fighter who only targets the head becomes predictable, and predictability in MMA gets punished.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are body shots legal in MMA?

Yes. Strikes to the torso are legal in all major MMA promotions, including the UFC, under the Unified Rules of MMA. The groin and back of the head are off-limits, but the front and sides of the torso are valid targets.

Can a body shot knock someone out?

A body shot does not cause unconsciousness the way a head strike does. It can, however, cause a technical knockout (TKO) when the pain and systemic shutdown from a liver shot or accumulated body damage leave a fighter unable to continue.

Why do fighters not throw more body shots?

Throwing body shots requires lowering the hands, which momentarily exposes the chin. In MMA, fighters also risk being clinched or taken down when they commit to body strikes. The payoff from body work is often delayed, showing up in later rounds, so fighters chasing early finishes tend to aim for the head instead.

Who is known for body shots in MMA?

Bas Rutten built much of his career around body strikes during his time in Pancrase in the 1990s, where closed-fist punches to the head were banned. He adapted by targeting the body with palms, knees, and kicks, and carried that approach into the UFC. Max Holloway and Jon Jones are among the most notable UFC fighters who consistently incorporate body work into their striking.

---

Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Liver shot.” Accessed April 2026.
2. Evolve Daily. “The Hidden Power of Body Shots: Why They Win Fights.” May 2025.
3. Yahoo Sports. “The agonizing history of the body shot knockout.” November 2024.
4. Bleacher Report. “Body Punching: The Future of MMA.” Jack Slack.
5. Evolve Vacation. “Targeting the Body in MMA.”
6. Evolve University. “How to Use Body Shots to Improve Your MMA Game.” August 2023.
7. Boston Krav Maga. “Liver Shots.” (vagus nerve physiology reference)

Related MMA Terms