Last updated: July 4, 2026
Quick Definition
A foul is any action banned by the rules of an MMA bout, such as an eye poke, a groin strike, or grabbing the fence. Only the referee can call one, and the penalty runs from a verbal warning up to disqualification.
What is a foul in MMA?
A foul is a violation of the ruleset governing a fight. In professional MMA, that ruleset is almost always the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions on July 30, 2009, and used by the UFC since November 2000, according to the UFC’s published rules. The version published on the UFC’s site lists 27 separate fouls.
The list exists for two reasons: to protect fighters from techniques with an outsized risk of permanent injury, and to keep the contest fair. Eye gouging and strikes to the spine sit in the first category. Grabbing an opponent’s shorts to stop a takedown sits in the second.
A foul is not the same thing as an illegal move, though the terms overlap. An illegal move is a banned technique, like a headbutt. A foul covers banned techniques plus banned conduct: timidity, abusive language, attacking after the bell, or interference from a fighter’s corner all count as fouls without being “moves” at all.
One more thing separates fouls from ordinary rule talk. Under the Unified Rules, only the referee can assess a foul. If the referee misses an eye poke, the judges cannot quietly punish it on their scorecards.
Common fouls under the unified rules
Most fouls fall into a few groups. The table below covers the ones fans see called most often.
| Group | Examples |
| Strikes to protected targets | Back of the head, spine, throat, groin; knees or kicks to the head of a grounded opponent |
| Dangerous grappling and gouging | Eye gouging, biting, fish hooking, small joint manipulation, spiking an opponent onto the head or neck |
| Grabbing and holding | Holding the fence or ropes, holding an opponent’s gloves or shorts, hair pulling |
| Conduct violations | Timidity, abusive language, attacking during a break, corner interference |
Two entries changed recently. On July 23, 2024, the ABC voted to remove the ban on the “12-6” elbow, the straight downward strike that gave Jon Jones the only loss of his career by disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009, per ESPN. The change took effect November 1, 2024, though each athletic commission adopts updates on its own schedule.
The same vote rewrote the grounded fighter rule. A fighter is now grounded, and protected from knees and kicks to the head, when any body part other than the hands or feet touches the canvas, according to CBS Sports. Hands alone on the mat no longer count, which closed off the old trick of touching a palm down to bait a foul.
What happens when a foul is called
The referee calls time. Under the Unified Rules procedure, the offending fighter goes to a neutral position while the referee checks the condition of the fouled fighter, then assesses the penalty and notifies the corners, the judges, and the official scorekeeper.
Recovery time depends on the foul. A fighter hurt by a groin strike or an eye poke can receive up to five minutes to recover if they are able to continue, per the ABC’s rules.
Penalties escalate with severity and repetition. A first, harmless offense usually draws a verbal warning. A point deduction comes next, applied by the scorekeeper rather than the judges, and it carries real weight under the 10-point must system: a round a fighter won 10-9 becomes a 9-9 tie after losing a point. Flagrant or repeated fouls can end in disqualification.
Intentional vs. accidental fouls
Why does one eye poke produce a no contest while another produces a disqualification? Intent, and timing, decide the outcome whenever a foul stops a fight.
| Situation | Official result |
| Intentional foul leaves the opponent unable to continue | Disqualification loss for the offending fighter |
| Accidental foul stops the fight before most scheduled rounds are complete | No contest |
| Accidental foul stops the fight after most rounds are complete (two of three, or three of five) | Technical decision from the scorecards; a technical draw if the injured fighter is not ahead |
The referee makes the intent call in real time, and the Unified Rules leave that judgment to the referee alone. A fighter who was already warned for the same foul is far more likely to see the harsher ruling. For a fuller breakdown of the harshest outcome, see the disqualification entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many fouls are there in MMA?
The UFC’s published Unified Rules list 27 fouls. The exact count varies slightly between athletic commissions because each one adopts rule updates on its own timeline.
Can judges deduct points for a foul?
No. Only the referee can assess a foul, and the official scorekeeper applies any point deduction. Judges must ignore fouls the referee did not call.
Are 12-6 elbows still a foul?
Not under the updated Unified Rules. The ABC removed the ban effective November 1, 2024, though a commission that has not adopted the update may still treat the strike as illegal.
Does every foul cost a point?
No. A first offense that causes no harm usually draws nothing more than a warning, and referees save deductions and disqualifications for fouls that are repeated, damaging, or flagrant.
Sources
- UFC. “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.ufc.com/unified-rules-mixed-martial-arts - Association of Boxing Commissions. “2017 Unified Rules of MMA: Fouls.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.abcboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/unified_rules_fouls_rev0816.pdf - ESPN. “ABC votes to remove ’12-6 elbow’ ban, redefines grounded opponent.” July 24, 2024.
https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/40627706/abc-votes-remove-12-6-elbow-ban-redefines-grounded-opponent - CBS Sports. “Commission removes 12-6 elbows from Unified MMA rules, updates grounded opponent rule.” July 23, 2024.
https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/commission-removes-12-6-elbows-from-unified-mma-rules-updates-grounded-opponent-rule/ - Sherdog. “ABC Approves Rule Changes for 12-to-6 Elbows, Definition of a Grounded Fighter.” July 23, 2024.
https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ABC-Approves-Rule-Changes-for-12to6-Elbows-Definition-of-a-Grounded-Fighter-194426 - Nevada Athletic Commission. “Mixed Martial Arts Fouls, Submissions & Scoring Criteria.” Accessed July 2026.
https://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/faq/MMA-FOULS_JUDGING_CRITERIA_01-13.pdf - Wikipedia. “Mixed martial arts rules.” Accessed July 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts_rules - CBS Sports. “UFC Fan Guide: Understanding the important rules of the Octagon.” January 9, 2026.
https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/news/ufc-fan-guide-rules-octagon-how-a-fight-is-scored/
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