Spinning Wheel Kick

Last updated: May 25, 2026

What is a spinning wheel kick?

The spinning wheel kick is one of the highest-risk, highest-reward techniques in mixed martial arts. A fighter pivots on the lead foot, turns the body away from the opponent, and swings the rear leg around in a horizontal circle without bending the knee. The straight leg is a long lever, and the rotation of the hips and torso loads the strike with enough force to end a fight on contact.

The kick traces its origins to Korean and Japanese striking arts. In Karate, it is called ura ushiro mawashi geri, and in Taekwondo, it sits alongside the spinning hook kick as a tournament weapon. Kickboxers like Andy Hug adapted it for full-contact rules in the 1990s, and Brazilian, Korean, Filipino, and Russian strikers carried it into MMA over the past two decades.

It remains rare in cage fighting because the spin requires a fighter to turn the back on the opponent for a moment. Miss, and the kicker is left open to a counter or a takedown. Land it cleanly, and the result is one of the most spectacular finishes in combat sports. Edson Barboza’s third-round knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142 on 14 January 2012 was the first spinning wheel kick finish in UFC history, and the highlight still anchors the technique’s reputation in the sport.

How it works

The mechanics are simple to describe and difficult to execute. The fighter steps the lead foot across the centreline, pivots roughly 180 degrees, and uses the momentum of the turn to whip the rear leg around at head height. The kicking leg stays locked or near-locked throughout, and the heel or back of the foot makes contact with the side of the head or jaw.

Power comes from centripetal force. The straight leg travels a longer arc than a roundhouse or hook kick, so by the time it reaches the target, the foot has accelerated past what a shorter kick can generate. Karate instructors often compare the motion to swinging a baseball bat, with the body as the handle and the leg as the bat. The kick can be thrown from a grounded pivot or launched off the floor as a jumping variation, and both versions deliver fight-ending power when the timing and distance are correct.

Spinning wheel kick vs. spinning hook kick

Commentators and fans regularly mix up these two terms, and even trained practitioners disagree on where the line falls. The key distinction is what the kicking leg does during the spin.

In a spinning wheel kick, the leg stays straight from the moment the spin begins. It travels in one continuous horizontal arc, sweeping through the target. The kicker commits the full length of the leg to the strike, which produces the highest reach and torque but also makes the kick more telegraphed.

In a spinning hook kick, the leg chambers as the body spins. The knee bends, the leg pulls in toward the chest, and at the last instant, the lower leg whips outward to hook the target with the heel. Drawing the knee inward conserves angular momentum, the way a figure skater pulling in their arms speeds up a spin, so the kick fires faster and is harder to read.

Both techniques land with the heel and target the head or body. The wheel kick is built around a longer, more powerful arc, while the hook kick is built around speed and deception.

Feature	Spinning wheel kick	Spinning hook kick
Kicking leg	Straight throughout	Chambers (bends) during spin
Striking surface	Heel or back of foot	Heel
Power profile	High power, longer arc	Faster, more controlled
Telegraph	More visible	Harder to read
Origin style	Karate, kickboxing	Taekwondo

Common variations

Fighters throw the spinning wheel kick in two main forms in MMA, separated by whether the pivot foot stays on the canvas or leaves it during the spin.

The grounded version keeps the pivot foot on the canvas throughout. The fighter rotates on the lead foot and brings the rear leg through in a horizontal sweep. Most spinning wheel kicks landed in modern MMA fall into this category, since it is the more controlled of the two methods.

The jumping spinning wheel kick adds a jump as the spin begins, so both feet leave the ground when the kick fires. Edson Barboza’s KO of Terry Etim is the canonical example. The jump adds height, which helps fighters reach taller opponents, and it gives the kick a more vertical drop on contact.

Fighters also vary the target. Most spinning wheel kicks in MMA aim for the head, where the heel can land flush on the jaw or temple. Body variants attack the torso, with the liver a common pick. Andy Hug, the heavyweight karateka who crossed over into kickboxing, was famous for using low wheel kicks against his opponents’ legs. He would chain them with conventional low kicks until his opponents raised their guard to protect the chin, then change the angle with a horizontal heel strike to the thigh.

Common misconceptions

Several persistent mistakes appear when people describe the spinning wheel kick.

The most common is treating it as identical to the spinning hook kick. As covered above, the difference is the position of the leg during the spin: straight for the wheel kick, chambered for the hook kick.

Another error confuses the wheel kick with the spinning back kick. The back kick is a thrust technique, where the fighter spins, pulls the heel back toward the chest, and drives the foot straight out behind in a piston motion. The contact lands with the heel, but the trajectory is linear. A spinning wheel kick is always a circular strike.

A third mistake assumes the kick requires a full 360-degree rotation. Most spinning wheel kicks land somewhere between 270 and 360 degrees of rotation, and the fighter does not need to complete a full revolution to make contact. Stopping the spin at the moment of impact helps preserve balance for the follow-up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the spinning wheel kick legal in MMA?

Yes. All major MMA promotions permit spinning kicks under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The only relevant restriction is the prohibition on kicks to the head of a grounded opponent.

Who threw the first spinning wheel kick knockout in UFC history?

Edson Barboza. He knocked out Terry Etim with a jumping spinning wheel kick at UFC 142 on 14 January 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. Barboza’s heel landed flush on Etim’s jaw at the 2:02 mark of the third round, and the finish later won Fighters Only’s 2012 Knockout of the Year.

What is the difference between a spinning wheel kick and a roundhouse kick?

A roundhouse kick goes forward without a spin. The fighter rotates on the lead foot and swings the rear leg forward in an arc, landing with the shin or instep. A spinning wheel kick reverses direction. The body spins backward, and the heel makes the contact instead of the shin. From the opponent’s perspective, the two kicks come from opposite sides.

Why is the spinning wheel kick so dangerous?

The spinning wheel kick combines two factors. The straight leg gives the strike a longer arc than most other kicks, which accelerates the foot to a high speed by the time it reaches the target. The heel is also denser than the shin or instep, which concentrates the impact on a small contact area.

Has any recent fighter won knockout-of-the-year recognition with a spinning wheel kick?

Mauricio Ruffy’s first-round KO of King Green at UFC 313 on 8 March 2025 drew immediate Knockout of the Year discussion, with UFC commentator Joe Rogan calling it one of the best finishes of the event. Ruffy also collected the Performance of the Night bonus for the finish.

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Sources

1. Bleacher Report. “UFC 142: Edson Barboza Bounces Terry Etim with Spectacular Head-Kick KO.”
2. ESPN. “2012 knockout of the year: Barboza-Etim.”
3. UFC.com. “Edson Barboza’s Greatest Hits.”
4. Evolve MMA. “How To Use Spinning Techniques For MMA Effectively.”
5. Black Belt Wiki. “Ura Ushiro Mawashi Geri (Spinning Heel Kick).”
6. Taekwondo Wiki. “Spinning Heel Kick.”
7. Sportskeeda. “Known for spinning wheel kicks, UFC vet applauds Mauricio Ruffy’s impressive KO of King Green at UFC 313.”
8. TNT Sports. “Edson Barboza reflects on famous spinning wheel kick on Terry Etim.”

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