Inside Leg Kick

Last updated: May 25, 2026

What is an inside leg kick?

The inside leg kick belongs to the low-kick family. It strikes the inner thigh, just above the knee, with the shin. Wikipedia describes it as a standard low kick used widely in MMA and combat sports like Muay Thai and kickboxing.

In an MMA stance, the kick is almost always thrown at the opponent’s lead leg rather than the rear. The lead leg is closer to the kicker and exposed at an angle that the outside kick can’t easily access. MMAmania’s analysis of the Diego Nunes vs Kenny Florian bout illustrates this pattern, with Nunes repeatedly targeting Florian’s lead leg from the inside to break his forward pressure.

The kick rarely ends fights on its own. Its value is cumulative: each landed strike chips away at the opponent’s stance and ability to move.

How the inside leg kick works

Delivered with the shin, the kick swings along an upward arc that crosses the centerline of the opponent. The kicker pivots on the supporting foot and rotates the hips to generate force, with the shin meeting the inner thigh at or just above the knee. The middle of the shin is the contact surface, since it transfers force more reliably than the foot or ankle.

The kick is effective for a few reasons. It travels along an angle most fighters find harder to anticipate than an outside kick, which arrives from a more predictable line. Contact with the inner thigh tends to lift the opponent’s leg upward and inward, breaking their stance momentarily.

The inner thigh also has less muscle padding than the outside of the leg, so accumulated damage shows up faster. Evolve MMA describes the inside leg kick as functioning much like a jab in boxing, a setup tool more than a finishing strike.

Inside leg kick vs outside leg kick

The inside and outside leg kick share one target zone (the thigh) but differ in almost every other respect. Most readers searching for one term are actually trying to tell the two apart.

An outside leg kick lands on the outer quadriceps and is usually thrown with the rear leg, drawing power from a full hip rotation. It is the version of the leg kick most casual fans picture: the slow, accumulating thigh damage seen in fights like José Aldo against Urijah Faber at WEC 48, where Aldo’s kicks left Faber barely able to stand by the championship rounds.

The inside leg kick lands on the inner quadriceps and is more often thrown with the lead leg, sometimes off a small angle step. It carries less raw power but disrupts stance more directly. Fighters use it to break posture or to set up follow-up punches by pushing the opponent off-line.

	Inside leg kick	Outside leg kick
Target	Inner thigh, just above the knee	Outer thigh, just above the knee
Usual attacking leg	Lead leg	Rear leg
Primary purpose	Disrupting stance, setting up strikes	Cumulative tissue damage
Power profile	Lower (less hip rotation)	Higher (full hip rotation)
Common pairing	Followed by punches or angle change	Used after jab or as standalone wear-down

Inside leg kick vs calf kick

The calf kick has become one of the most discussed strikes in modern MMA, and it is easy to confuse with the inside leg kick. They are different tools that hit different parts of the leg.

A calf kick lands below the knee, on the back or outside of the calf muscle, often near the common peroneal nerve. The inside leg kick lands above the knee, on the inner thigh. Sweet Science of Fighting notes that the calf kick became common in MMA in recent years because it is harder to check than a thigh kick and can be thrown from a greater distance.

Most modern fighters who lean on leg kicks use both, with the calf kick more common at distance and the inside leg kick more common when closing range or setting up combinations.

How fighters defend the inside leg kick

The standard defense against an inside leg kick is the check, where the defender raises the lead leg and turns the shin inward to meet the incoming kick shin-on-shin. A well-timed check shifts the impact from soft tissue to bone, and the kicker takes the worse end of the exchange.

Checks of inside low kicks have produced some of the most serious injuries in UFC history. At UFC 168, Chris Weidman checked Anderson Silva’s inside low kick. The leg broke on contact.

Wikipedia notes the same outcome at UFC 261, when Uriah Hall checked Chris Weidman’s inside low kick and broke Weidman’s leg.

The other defensive option is movement, where the defender steps out of range or angles off so the kick lands short or misses entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the inside leg kick usually thrown at the lead leg?

The lead leg sits closest to the kicker and is exposed at an angle that the outside leg kick can’t reach. Targeting the lead leg also requires less hip rotation, making the kick faster and harder to read.

Is the inside leg kick the same as a calf kick?

No. A calf kick lands below the knee on the back or outside of the calf, while an inside leg kick lands above the knee on the inner thigh. They are separate techniques with different effects.

Are inside leg kicks legal in MMA?

Yes. Inside leg kicks are legal under the Unified Rules of MMA used by the UFC and most major promotions. They are also legal in Muay Thai, in kickboxing under International and Oriental rules, and in several full-contact karate styles.

Why is the inside leg kick compared to a jab in boxing?

Both are quick, lower-power strikes thrown with the lead-side limb that set up bigger attacks rather than aim to finish. Evolve MMA uses the comparison to explain that the kick is a control tool rather than a knockout strike.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Low kick.” Accessed May 2026.
2. UFC.com. “Jonathan Martinez | The Art Of The Leg Kick.” Accessed May 2026.
3. Evolve MMA. “Utilizing The Inside Leg Kick In Muay Thai.” Accessed May 2026.
4. Sweet Science of Fighting. “How To Throw A Leg Kick (Step By Step Guide).” Accessed May 2026.
5. The Fight Site. “MMA Basics: Kicking.” Accessed May 2026.
6. MMAmania. “The Striking Zone: Why leg kicks are game changers in MMA.” Accessed May 2026.

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