Knee to Body

Last updated: May 25, 2026

What is a knee to the body in MMA?

The technique itself is the same as any other knee, a strike delivered with the kneecap or the bone around it, driven by hip extension and forward momentum from the base leg. What changes from variant to variant is where the knee lands. Knees can be aimed at the head, the thigh, or the body, and the body is by far the most common target in mixed martial arts.

The body is the dominant target for knee strikes in MMA for a practical reason. According to Wikipedia’s entry on knee strikes, the front knee can land on the head, hips, ribs, solar plexus, stomach, or thighs. In real fights, the torso is the easiest of those to reach. The head moves. The legs sit too low for a knee to reach efficiently. The torso, meanwhile, sits at chest height during a clinch and has limited armour from the elbows. It also contains organs that respond badly to blunt force. That is why body knees are a staple weapon in clinch fighting, ground-and-pound, and the open mid-range, while knees to the head are reserved for specific moments.

A knee to the body can be thrown from a standing clinch, in open space when the opponent leaves the midsection exposed, or on the ground from top positions like side control. The mechanics shift slightly in each setting, but the target and the goal stay the same: damage the soft tissue of the torso and the organs sitting behind it.

How a knee to the body works

Power for a knee strike to the body comes from the hips, not the leg. The base foot stays planted and pivots, the rear hip extends forward, and the striking knee drives upward or diagonally into the target. The kneecap and the bony area just above it are the impact surface. Compared to a punch, the knee carries a smaller surface and more mass behind it, which is why it concentrates force into a smaller patch of tissue.

From the clinch, the most common setup is a collar tie or double underhook that pulls the opponent down onto an incoming knee. The collision of two forces, one pulling and one driving, is what makes clinch knees so damaging. In open space, the body knee usually appears after a punch combination, when the opponent is covering their head and leaves the midsection unguarded. On the ground, the same strike is delivered from above with gravity adding to the force.

The visible signature of a clean knee to the body is sudden. The opponent typically folds at the waist, exhales hard, and steps or stumbles back. Liver-targeted knees often produce a delayed collapse, a second or two after impact, while solar-plexus knees tend to drop the opponent immediately through breathlessness.

Common targets on the body

The torso has several vulnerable points, and a knee to the body can target any of them. The specific landing spot determines what kind of damage follows.

Target	Location	What happens on impact
Solar plexus	Centre of upper abdomen, below the sternum	A bundle of nerves regulating the diaphragm. A clean strike causes immediate breathlessness, and the opponent often doubles over.
Liver	Right side of the torso, below the lower ribs	Per Wikipedia’s entry on the liver shot, blunt impact triggers the vagus nerve, causing a drop in heart rate and blood pressure. Often produces a delayed collapse.
Floating ribs	Lower rib cage, sides of the torso	Less bone protection than the upper ribs. Impact disrupts breathing and can fracture or bruise ribs.
Spleen	Left side, opposite the liver	Less commonly targeted but similarly soft. Impact can cause significant pain and stamina loss.
Midsection / abdomen	General torso area	Cumulative damage. Body knees here drain stamina across rounds rather than producing instant finishes.

The liver is widely considered the highest-payoff target. At UFC Louisville on June 8, 2024, Carlos Prates ended his fight with Charles Radtke by framing him along the cage and driving a left knee into Radtke’s liver area. Radtke collapsed instantly. The finish came at 4:47 of round one and earned Prates a Performance of the Night bonus.

Knee to the body vs. knee to the head

The two strikes share a name and a mechanism, but they sit in distinct tactical and legal categories. Most readers searching for clarity on body knees actually want to know how they differ from head knees.

Factor	Knee to the body	Knee to the head
Legality (Unified Rules)	Legal in nearly all situations, including against a grounded opponent.	Legal only when the opponent is not “grounded” under the current Unified Rules definition.
Target size	Large, fixed target. Easier to land.	Small, mobile target. Harder to land.
Frequency in fights	Common, especially in the clinch.	Rare, usually reserved for clinch finishes or off a takedown attempt.
Typical outcome	Stamina drain, body shot TKO, set-up for follow-up strikes.	High knockout probability when it lands cleanly.
Famous examples	Carlos Prates vs. Charles Radtke, UFC Louisville, 2024.	Jorge Masvidal’s 5-second flying knee KO of Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July 2019, the fastest finish in UFC history.

The legal distinction is the biggest practical difference. A fighter can knee the body of a grounded opponent in side control or north-south. They cannot knee the head of that same opponent under the Unified Rules.

Is a knee to the body legal in MMA?

Knees to the body are legal in MMA under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, regardless of whether the opponent is standing or grounded. The strict rules around knees apply only to head strikes.

The Unified Rules were updated in November 2024 to clarify when a knee or kick to the head becomes illegal. According to coverage from Heavy.com and Yahoo Sports, the Association of Boxing Commissions approved a change effective November 1, 2024: a fighter is grounded, and therefore protected from head knees and head kicks, when any part of their body other than their hands or feet is touching the canvas. The change took effect at UFC Edmonton on November 2, 2024.

This rule applies only to head strikes. Knees and kicks to the body remain legal whether the opponent is standing, kneeling, or on the ground. That distinction is why body knees are such a reliable tool in MMA: a fighter never has to second-guess the legality of the strike based on the opponent’s posture, only the target.

Promotions can adopt the Unified Rules with variations. Some state commissions still use older definitions of “grounded,” so the line between a legal and illegal head knee can vary slightly by jurisdiction. Body knees are not affected by any of these variations.

Types of body knees in MMA

The same target can be reached with several different knee techniques, each suited to a different range and position.

Type	Where it’s thrown from	Typical use
Straight (front) knee	Clinch or open mid-range	Standard body knee. Driven straight forward into the midsection.
Curved (side) knee	Tight clinch	Used when the opponent’s elbow blocks the centre line. Wraps around the guard into the ribs or floating ribs.
Flying knee	Open distance	Jumping or rushing variation. Carries more momentum but harder to land on the body specifically.
Ground-and-pound knee	Side control, north-south, or other top positions	Driven downward into the opponent’s torso while they lie underneath.

The straight and curved knees from the clinch account for the bulk of body knees thrown in pro MMA. Flying knees to the body are rarer than flying knees to the head, mainly because the leap shrinks the window of accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are knees to the body legal in MMA?

Yes. Under the Unified Rules of MMA, knees to the body are legal whether the opponent is standing, in the clinch, or on the ground. The restrictions on knee strikes apply only to the head of a grounded opponent.

Can you knee the body of a grounded opponent in MMA?

Yes. A fighter in side control or north-south can legally drive knees into the body of the opponent underneath. Only knees to the head of a grounded opponent are prohibited under the Unified Rules.

What is the most dangerous target for a knee to the body?

The liver is generally considered the highest-payoff target. Wikipedia notes that a liver shot, whether from a punch, kick, or knee, can compress the organ against the rib cage and trigger a vagus nerve response that drops blood pressure and causes collapse.

How is a knee to the body different from a body kick?

A knee to the body lands with the kneecap or the bone above it and is delivered at close range, often from a clinch. A body kick lands with the shin or instep and is delivered at kicking range. Knees carry more concentrated force; body kicks have longer reach.

Why don’t fighters throw more knees to the head?

The head is a small, mobile target, and an MMA fighter trying to reach it with a knee has to commit weight forward in a way that exposes them to takedowns and counters. The body is larger, more stationary, and easier to reach during clinch exchanges, so most knees in MMA are aimed there.

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Sources

1. “Knee (strike).” Wikipedia. Accessed May 2026.
2. “Liver shot.” Wikipedia. Accessed May 2026.
3. Cleary, Tom. “WATCH: Explaining the New MMA Rules That Debuted at UFC Edmonton.” Heavy.com, November 2024.
4. “New unified rules to make UFC debut in Edmonton with now-legal 12-6 elbows, grounded opponent changes.” Yahoo Sports / MMA Junkie, October 2024.
5. “Commission removes 12-6 elbows from Unified MMA rules, updates grounded opponent rule.” CBS Sports, July 2024.
6. “The Hidden Power Of Body Shots: Why They Win Fights.” Evolve Daily, 2025.
7. “Highlights! Carlos Prates walks off with nasty liver shot knockout.” MMA Mania, UFC Louisville coverage, June 2024.

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