Soccer kicks are NOT a game changer in MMA

Soccer kicks and stomps to the head of a downed fighter are controversial techniques that have been illegal in the UFC since the year 2000. But not every MMA organization uses the unified rules of Mixed Martial Arts (ie: UFC rules)
So we not only have a substantial library of footage of fights using soccer kicks to study, but the experience of someone who has fought under that particular rule set.
Kicks and stomps to the head of a downed fighter only happen AFTER the downed fighter is no longer intelligently defending himself, at which point a competent referee should have already stopped the action before the soccer kicks and head stomps even started.
Knees to the head of a downed fighter, on the other hand, a HUGE game changer. Watch to find out why.
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Ramsey Dewey is a retired pro fighter, combat sports coach, referee, and fight commentator… and occasional musician based in Shanghai, China.
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Thanks to my channel sponsor:
Xmartial: catering to all kinds of combat sports athletes from BJJ, MMA, Muay Thai etc. find rash guards, fight shorts, grappling spats, boxing gloves and other training gear. Use my code RAMSEY10 for a 10% discount on everything at
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This video features original music by Ramsey Dewey
Follow me on Instagram at: / ramseydewey
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I fought professionally in Mixed Martial arts, Sanda, Muay Thai, K1 and American kickboxing from 2004-2011 when I was forced to retire due to a broken skull and being blinded in one eye. I hold a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Black belts in multiple traditional martial arts, including Taekwondo and kyokushin karate. I also train in catch wrestling, sambo, taijiquan, judo, and boxing.
I currently coach at the Animal MMA gym, the Extreme Fight Lab, and the Mordor Fight Club, all in Shanghai, China.

[@danryan2371]

Coach, you're 45, and half blind with bad knees. Yet, you get out there and train more than most people under 20 let alone 30. Thank you for being an inspiration and making me get out there to train

[@blockmasterscott]

I’ll second this. Well said.

[@harkinjames]

I also agree, because of Ramsey I’m back training too

[@Annokh]

Ramsey's "MA guys are whimps" got me on my longest gym streak ever. I mean, it's merely 1,5 years or so, but it's something considering I managed to retain some extent of discipline despite all the temptations of summer... and even the fact my MA class crashed and burned at that time.

[@murphylhunn]

I never thought about it, but ive only ever seen soccer kicks land on a guy who's already out of it. Great vid

[@JaxenChaz]

To put it another way, knowing even just basic guard retention fundamentals can *significantly* increase your chances to survive a stomping.

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep. Exactly!

[@christophernewton8474]

Only reason I didn't get stomped in a street fight when I was 12 was three years of Judo and butterfly guard. I up kicked the other guy in the crotch and when he fell on me I punched him in the jaw. It bought enough time for the bystanders to break it up. I still say soccer kicks make open guard less effective and discourage fighting from the ground. Whether that makes adding soccer kicks back in worth the excessive head trauma to tko fighters is an entirely other question though.

[@carltaylor2975]

@@RamseyDewey I have no idea why but youtube keeps deleting my comments any time I link you the video of the Navy Seal challenging Sean Strickland do a street fight. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4etf3uimdGdgc0&ab_channel=FrogManTactical

[@carltaylor2975]

@@RamseyDewey kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4etf3uimdGdgc0&ab_channel=FrogManTactical

[@carltaylor2975]

@@RamseyDewey Hey Ramsey the video of that Navy Seal challenging Sean Strickland. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4etf3uimdGdgc0&ab_channel=FrogManTactical

[@jamesthera]

I get tired of explaining this concept to anti-grappling bros. I really do. A small ego-stroking part of myself wants to, likely erroneously, believe that the one comment i left on the "you dont know how to fight" video helped inspired this explanation.

[@angeloesguerra555]

Reminds me of Sakuraba jumping to stomp his opponents,not the most effective but really hypes the audience😎

[@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh]

That Made Gracie Family Throw the towel.

[@DSP-gh5ei]

Another thing to note thats not shown when the guy is in the guard like that he can upkick you too love your videos, keep them coming.

[@TheGhostofLlopmondDunderbridge]

This is actually a great point. Up-kicks are VERY dangerous and even an un-trained person (especially if they're at all athletic/physical) can muster one powerful enough to KO if it connects with your head. How come no "FOR DA STREETZ" guys talk about this?

[@thefaboo]

4:40 With the lighting here, for a second I thought your partner was the training dummy. It was real trippy when they moved on their own 😂 Great insights - thanks Ramsey!

[@Banished-rx4ol]

The real strength of allowing soccer kicks and stomps is making the guard more dangerous. Case and point anderson silva vs yushin okami, illegal upkick because okami was grounded and its technically a stomp. I think those should be legalized

[@RamseyDewey]

Upkicks have always been legal.

[@Banished-rx4ol]

@@RamseyDewey Yes coach, unless the knee is on the ground like with arman and charles oliveira or anderson silva and yushin okami. You can’t upkick a grounded opponent its why okami and silva had a rematch due to the illegal strike

[@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935]

I believe ufc 300 had this happen. I don't remember which fight, but the kicker got a warning. The other guy had both knees on the ground.

[@Banished-rx4ol]

@@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935 I mentioned it charles and arman, charles lost a triangle because of it he was working on closing it then kicked armans face

[@frm8761]

8 mins 90 views, he is back on track

[@Thatsnotgonnawork]

Thank you for clearing up misconceptions about this technique. In my view the threat of the soccer kick affects how a fight plays out more than the technique itself. Fighters have less positions to stall in and have to be more active with their defense.

[@bam3xs]

soccer kicks and stomps being illegal sounds more like a protection against bad refs then your opponent

[@ratasslordofyoink4542]

A soccer kick can be thrown really fast if you knock your opponent down against the cage. Saw it happen in one of those modern russian meat grinder promotions. Dude got dropped by a hook bad, went ass to canvas. Then he got deep fried from a roundhouse square to the face that left him sitting upright against the cage, completely unconscious. All within less than two seconds. Feel that you're right about the fight needing to be stopped by the time soccer kicks become practical, but there's exceptions where they can cause a ton of extra damage before the ref can stop the fight.

[@josephlane1614]

What about ground to ground kicks? I'm not a bjj practitionar at all, so this may be a dumb question, but perhaps straight kicks to the head on someone trying to grab a leg could be effective, and removing this rule would allow those. Another thought, while stomps to the head may be difficult, a stomp to the chest can be debilitating, and is a likely result of attempted head kicks.

[@Throatcutter]

Hey Ramsey I saw a video where a guy who was analysing bruce Lee's grappling and OMG OMG they think you could actually break your way out of a fully locked arm bar by biting I can even begin to explain how that will not work

[@andymax1]

I remember receiving a soccer kick to the head whilst pinning my assailant to the floor in a street fight, a couple of things were learnt that day, going to the ground in a street fight is dumb, as invariably you will be fighting multiples and also I have a head made of concrete as despite trying to launch it into orbit it only managed to piss me off.

[@nitkis419]

Hey Ramsey, can you talk about what are the differences when preparing for a 3 round fight versus preparing for 5 rounds in MMA? How does the duration of the fight affect the training, strategy and fight plan? Thanks for all the videos you make, I hope your knee gets at least a little better.

[@user-lp8tl4nf4b]

Hello Coach Ramsey... My name is Craig!!!! I am a 48 year old beginner of the arts and truly wish that I lived in Shanghai to learn from you in person!!!!! I also can relate to your head trauma as I have suffered 18 strokes!!!!! I just wanted you to know you are awesome and I hope your knee heals quickly and well!!!! God Bless!!!!!

[@gobeserk-_-7683]

Ramsey pleaase would u tell me what Dempsey's Shoulder Whirl was i am having trouble understanding what it is from the book. Thank you

[@nomad155]

Pride Never Die! Love you Coach!

[@MisterBrowning]

this is a really good point, never realised this, thank you!

[@lazersondesign]

Pride FC still is my favorite of ALL OF THEM!!! It was chemistry laboratories fighting each other in the ring! I loved the show, the fights, the interviews, everything about it. It felt like straight out of a video game, but it was REAL! UFC for me was way to "sporty" if you know what I mean. No sideshow, no huge wrestling style walkouts etc. I mean the fights are still great, but idk, I NEVER missed a Pride stream, but most of the UFC I watch after its over next day or weak or something if i hear that it was good. Pride FC was ALWAYS good.

[@Dracon7601]

I always think the UFC was too scared of pro- wrestling to really have fun.

[@kez_the_reaper2657]

I've seen it in fights where kicks to a downed fighter are used to set up a guard pass mainly kicks to the legs Are there any good set ups for this? It's something that doesn't really come up in a bjj class

[@RamseyDewey]

Kicks to the legs are not kicks to the head. There are many good set ups for guard passing by utilizing strikes.

[@Sbv-25]

Hi Ramsey, hope you recover from your cold. I have a question: my gym had to sell their squat rack due to downsizing. It’s too dangerous to have if an accident happens now that the gym is x4 smaller than it used to be. Fortunately i’m still allowed to do Deadlifts using the barbell from the bench rack. What exercises can i do to replace my squats? I’ve tried dumbbell lunges, bulgarian split squats, and single-leg leg press. But i’m worried they won’t have the same result as the good ol’ back squats

[@Xzontyr]

Hey bud, Ramseys very well trained in this sort of thing, so take my advice with a grain of salt they say (cautiously) but there's lots of ways to squat still without the heavy bar on your back. Also, I agree with you if what yoir saying is lunges aren't doing it for you. Lunges are similar, and necessary, but a squat really does dwell in its own house when it comes to legs and core and such. Some of the mix ups of doing them actually allow you to train some other great musckes sets in a usually neglected isometric way. For example, and please do not try any of this without a professionals advice, im only suggesting, but one way is to rope or chain up the plates, than squat holding up the even plates on the chains in a frontal hold of sorts. With this however, I suggest your wear steel toe boots, or even find something that will work as a protective foot cave. Sounds goofy, but gotta put safety first. Some kind of iron or steel corral of sorts. Even thick iron square tubing chunks will work. Can possibly find them for super cheap in a metal scrap yard. You want something molded, like square tubing, not welding that can break. Bloted might be questionable. Roped and chained weights also have this unique off balancing factor that will really make your muscles work. Depending how it's held. Safest and easiest way is ofcourse like yoir lunges, just string a strong rope, or chain through the plates, wrap a good towel around the area where youl grip, and just squat like you would with dumbbells. If they get to close to the ground, we'll tike to row them up a bit. I don't wanna say too much, this might be terribke advice, but there's many other ways. Don't give up.

[@Sbv-25]

@@Xzontyr I appreciate the input, but i’m not fond of intricate setups just for fitness

[@Xzontyr]

@Sbv-25 There's nothing wrong that. There's times where it's OK to be a mad scientist, but theirs absolutely nothing wrong with keeping things simple and safe. I forgot about the most basic and similar, where you just hang chains straight from the shoulders down, and than connect the front and back with carabiners so that they don't shift, than loop the weights from there. Still not optimal to do alone. Best thing to-do is just maybe just squat enough where you can still press it over when your done and have a spotter. Always good for spotters to know proper procedure when things go bad because there is a surprisingly large amount that have no clue.

[@ADarkandStormyNight]

Unrelated to this video but I need your help! My GF wants to make me get dive certified, what are the best grappling moves against sharks? I am going to assume arm bars are out.

[@davidegaruti2582]

yeah i had this tought : an up kick has similar force components to a stomp : in an upkick it's your leg strenght and their weight , you're kicking into their weight and it's offering resistence , so it becomes your heel vs their belly , in a stomp it's your leg strenght and your weight , so since weight isn't too different given weight categories , and leg strenght isn't too much of a difference , so basically upkicks are as strong as stomps , and trying to stomp someone who can upkick you is a 50/50 deal basically ...

[@malacostracus3663]

Well, I would assume one considerable difference in stomping is the solid ground under the stomped head. I don't know the exact physics behind that, but I feel like that significantly increases the risk of skull fractures, whereas in an upkick the head has room to go and thereby avoid a bunch of the kick's power by transfering it into the rest of the body. Probably worse for the neck but much more "gentle" on the skull.

[@frm8761]

I've been doing combat sports for 8 years now and I've had tons of injuries. Even before i started combat sports i was getting injured all the time. Ever since i remember myself even the lightest of injuries takes a very long time to heal. This year I started going to the gym in order to make my body more sturdy hoping to stop getting injured so easily. I think its time to start training again but i have trouble balancing mma training with weightlifting. How can I lift weights while training at the same time while avoiding overtraining?

[@MMAengineer]

what is your opinion on weight difference in striking sparring? Should you mostly spar with lighter guys to prevent brain damage?

[@michaelarmstrong3736]

Also a lot of the illegal moves for the most part actually protect "the striker" more than "the grappler". For example knees to a grounded opponent only favors ""the striker" if they managed to sprawl like Ramsey showed in the video, any other situation they're on the receiving end.

[@djibytop6724]

Please follow up on this: do you think knees to the head of a downed fighter should stay illegal in the sport of MMA? Or do you think they should be admitted as they add an important element of realism? Is the risk to the fighter worth it? I know you think 12-6 elbows should be legal, i'm wondering if you think the same about knees on the ground.

[@Thatsnotgonnawork]

Knees to the ground aren't the most dangerous knee strikes in the sport. We see guys get hurt way more when they're on the feet and are moving forward and their momentum collides with the knee (Page vs Cyborg for example)

[@RamseyDewey]

That’s only illegal under unified rules, and legal under universal rules.

[@IDRUSKI]

Can you do a video on your thoughts about combat jj and its rules? I watched a couple matches, i get that the point of the open hand strikes is to try make it more irl, but the competitors keep working in the same way as a normal grappling match.

[@Jujitard69420]

Its almost like grappling works

[@IDRUSKI]

@@Jujitard69420 I'm not trying to say it doesn't...

[@ryanhudson1252]

You're right about those knees in sprawl control

[@ricardojorge7981]

Hello Ramsey, i have a question for you, i watched Mighty Mouse video's and he talks a lot about the "void" and for my understanding he means the space in between the fighters right? i also heard the expression "pocket" and "no man's land", i would like to know the difference between these expressions. In my understanding the "pocket" is where both fighters can touch each other, and the "void" is just the space in between. Every time a fighter walks towards the opponent the "void" gets shorter and shorter, until they are in the "pocket" is this correct? And another thing, in Mighty Mouse's youtube video "Holloway vs Gaethje" he said: "Holloway tells Gaethje: i want to fight you inside the void", and my question is: if both are so close, doesn't this mean they are not inside the "void" because they are so close the "void" is still in between them, but now the "void" is very very short space. If someone can correct me about these topics, i would really appreciate. Thank you and keep up the good work Ramsey.

[@RamseyDewey]

I can’t tell you what Mighty Mouse means by this jargon he invented.

[@dianhuantang4654]

Ramsey what is the gym’s name that you’re working in Shanghai? I’m going home and want to train with you! Thanks

[@hmar1753]

The first thing you show at 1:28 (the stomp) seems like it could be viable if you are in their guard and break it momentarily. As for the soccer kick it seems like you would have to get really good timing on them shrimping, committing to a getup or otherwise making a big mistake. I agree that it likely won't be a game changer but I could see it impacting the outcome of a small percentage of fights.

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

Interesting video. Ramsey, what do you think of freestyle martial arts? E.g., freestyle Taekwondo? Presumably the guy isn't 4th Dan and can't teach, formally. What about, Zen Do Kai Karate by, Bob Jones, of Australia? It's like an amalgamation of TKD, MT, Karate, BJJ, Judo and more; and has been around since the 70's and doing well in Oz, Australia-wide.

[@jotv7224]

my thing against them was always blinding people with a toe potentially. its like a strike with your hands out flat since you can't make a fist with your feet the same way.

[@hulandark3824]

That GI looks absolutely sick coach

[@christianchase9909]

So I just played that drill with my black belt Professor two days ago, ridiculously hard for either of us to touch the other person head with our foot.

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep. Basic guard retention is OP.

[@user-uy6bc1xs3z]

Ramsey . My question for you is can you do a video on glance offs , deflecting punches from the inside out I haven’t been able to make them work and I don’t see many people doing them

[@RamseyDewey]

I’m not sure what you mean by “glance offs” Do mean using the lead shoulder to deflect and redirect a punch? (ie: rolling with the punches)

[@user-uy6bc1xs3z]

@@RamseyDewey in page 138 of jack dempsey book he talks about something called the glance off when an opponent throws a jab or cross and the defender puts his right forearm inside the opponents left jab so it deflects off to the defenders right side

[@RamseyDewey]

@@user-uy6bc1xs3z my copy has 103 pages. Which chapter?

[@user-uy6bc1xs3z]

Did you find the pages? I describe the glance off as to counter the right cross you use the left forearm. The parry is an outside in motion but the glance off is an inside out motion

[@user-yn9dd6zq5r]

Can you make a video about the essential components you need to include in your training to improve at MMA?

[@Funkatasmo]

I agree, the soccer kick doesn’t have much impact on the way the sport of MMA plays out. I am concerned however that it’d have an impact on the health of the fighters. I’m speculating here, but if we assume that a soccer kick or stomp delivers more force than a punch or hammer fist, then the cost of eating one to the head before the ref stops the fight would be greater. So the margin for error for refs would be slimmer and fighters could take more long-term damage. Of course, we’d have to consider time to execute the technique and whether you could land more currently-legal strikes in the time it takes to soccer kick someone. It’d be interesting to see a case study comparing CTE outcomes between TKO’d fighters in different rulesets that sustained those blows. That said, that’s a ton of variables to control for. Great thought-provoking video as always, Coach

[@Sbv-25]

Hi Ramsey, Is the double drop kick a real move or is that made up for entertainment?

[@RamseyDewey]

It’s for show.

[@assanari]

The coach's normal voice has come back. Excellent recovery 👊

[@RamseyDewey]

I filmed this while I was incredibly sick.

[@assanari]

@@RamseyDewey for a long moment yr voice was really affected. Hope you're doing good now. . ¡ánimo! Nuestro coach

[@WernerBroennimann]

Very interesting take, it never occurred to me that soccer kicks and stomps were mostly happening when a fighter is already dazed. I had thought that sometimes an attacker would actually pass the guard of the downed (but alert) opponent and be in a good kicking position, but I guess not so much. What is the fight at the 5:38 mark? I think I have seen this ages ago, quite a demonstration of what can happen if a double leg takedown fails and the defender sprawls and pins the attacker.

[@RamseyDewey]

That was Mark Coleman vs Alan Goes. Goes was actually in the bottom guard position trying to get an underhook and Mark Coleman grabbed his head and yanked him into sprawl control position for the knee KO. While Mark was celebrating his win, Goes regained consciousness, unaware of the fact that he had just lost via KO and kept trying to fight Coleman.

[@RamseyDewey]

If you “pass the guard” without pinning your opponent, you haven’t actually passed the guard. Even a one stripe white belt will reguard on you.

[@WernerBroennimann]

@@RamseyDewey Yes that makes sense. Thanks a lot for taking the time to elaborate.

[@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh]

Even though I disagree with you today I still love your content Ramsey, You are right in many situations.

[@Xzontyr]

Theres been alot of young guys in this area that have begun to hold a belief that wrestling is all you need for grappling, and mostly for defense. Theyv almoat completely given up on the belief that submissions can still be a part of mma training. Its unfortunate that they think this way. Iv always believed that grappling can end a fight much faster than striking. However, i was beggining to doubt that theory just recently, when i sparred against a guy trying to promote his style like a modern Gracie. However, it wasnt grappling he was using. He obviously trained in a mix of styles for a very long time, and was a well rounded, and gifted fighter. Thats what his followers, if he has any need to realise. Its not always the style that determines victory, but just the amount of work and time put into it, and how well it synergizes with that person. The rules deviated away from traditional mma rules a bit, but nothing too serious. I was expecting a lifht soarring session, but he soon had me realizing that he wanted to have some pressure in it. So we started striking alot harder. He had a really unirthodox defense, but it worked well. If anything, his stance looked weak and vulnerable. He kept his legs close together and fairly straight, which i tried to exploit to no avail. Iv been a combat sambo hobbiest for some time now and habe delved into bjj and catch wrestling tactics for the past 2 years now, so id say im fairly moderate in technique. He had incredible take down defense. I got him down twice, but he was able to get back up on both occasions. His grappling defense was good, but his striking defense was even better. I can strike fairly fast for a bigger guy, and i habe some great feint set ups, but it seemed like nothing could get past this guy. Beyond that, the way his arms were positioned, he would actually strike out a bit to parry with his forarms, as ifninwas hitting focus mitts. Especially the body shots, which i was starting to count on. It made me realise how uncondotioned my forearms were. After a while, the most pain i felt was actually just on my forearms. My ulnar nerve was padacaked pretty good. When he noticed that inwas getting a bit tired and bruised, thats when he started doing more kicks. Mostly just teeps and spinning low heels to the hips and femor. I eventually just through in the towel. I was so bruised up, and it was just a matter of time until he would of knocked me down with a good shot. I think he was actually showing me a bit of mercy near the end. It really bothered me. I felt like all of my training was for nothing. Iv been very conpetent in combat before, but i honestly think i could relate to what a Gracie victim might of felt like. However, his style ended up not being the bees knees. He went against more experiemced grapplers, and ended up loosing. However, the way he did, because of his rules, really didnt allow him to have a comfortable loss either. Both times involved alot of pressure on his neck. He was good no doubt, because it took the one guy to get him by kneeling on his head, which we all know is super dirty, but if you knew what the other guys rules were, it evened it out a bit. Than the way the other guy got him was with a neck crank he couldn't defend against at the time, so the guy obviously knew some decent grappling. That gave me a bit of faith again in offensive grappling. Speaking to people afterwords, they both agreed that his stabd up defense was on another level. We trued mimicking his stance and tactics, but its obviously something he spent alot of hours on, because it was like ordering a pizza in another language for the first time. Ill explain it the best I can, maybe you know more about it Ramsey. I would consider myself a martial arts nerd, but your the martial arts library it seems if you dont mind that pat on the back. A few of us know, that you know alot. I doubt the man will ever read this comment, but if his idea is to get students someday, than he shouldnt mind me sharing some of his info. I donwish him well though wherever he goes with his art. I really wonder if his defense would hold up against professionals. So his stance was fairly straight. Knees bent just slightly. Feet were fairly close together, and were at 11 and 2 oclock. So his hips were squared off towards us. His lower back was perfectly straight, but then there was his arms. His guard was pretty strange, but i know iv seen it somewhere. Maybe muay thai? He said his style was a karate, aikido hybrid, but iv never seen any karate stance like that, and rhe only thing aikido about his style was maybe some of his footwork, but i dont know enough about aikido to know. Also definitely not a karate and aikido hybrid only. The guy obviously knew wrestling and boxing, and probably bits from other styles to. To mimmick the way he had his guard would be if you lifted your arms up 90 degrees, brought yoir fists in to meet at the middle, but than brought them back about 8 to 10 inches, just to make a small gap. He than would keep his hands open most of the time, but would sometimes keep them in fists, or one or the other. One of the most u orthodox things he did, that did have effectiveness, that would have any mma coach scold there student, was he would lean forward sometimes and punch from his elbow in this guard, just so not to telegraph it. Sometimes it would be more like a hammerfist. It reminded me of wing chun chain punches in a sense, becauce he would mostly do it after parrying a low punch a bit, than hed rotate it around, and get me in the face with his own. Only his fist is horizontal and not vertical. Not sure what else i can really say. Some strikes made him contract and ball up a bit. I tried to use that. Didnt work out well. He knew how to expand and contract well if that makes any sense at all. Otherwise, he just had a plan that worked well for him. Mad respect for the guy. Is a good fighter. Graplling still got him though. If you know anything about the stance he used, id be curious to find more info on it. I both love and hate it. Its got me curious. Im not paying the guy money to teach me though. Nope, id rather just stick to how iv done things all this time. Also, i saw a great video that also gave me hope in grappling recently that i think would make for a great review. Its called "old head black belt makes quick work of his opponent." Here on youtube. A great example of the potential of Jiu Jitsu. I dont think anyone should give up on any form of submission grappling.

[@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh]

He probably Know Shito-Ryu Karate are a Style that a little among of fighters Know Everyone only Talk about Kyokushin and Shotokan when talk about Karate, Being outclassed are a bitter feeling but every fighter Know this feeling we still are human and can lose I remember when Khabib lose in Sambo and cried.

[@Xzontyr]

@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh I personally think that it's such an odd mix of elements, that he doesn't know what to call it, so he just stamps it with karate to try and make it seem more mystical, And have a greater sales pitch. Really it's just an odd form of kickboxing, with a strange guard he's forced to be effective. The guard is admirable, everything else is fairly basic.

[@TheGhostofLlopmondDunderbridge]

Soccer kicks are a HUGE game changer... in soccer!

[@amertithebird3204]

Question: I’ve heard you say a couple of times in your videos: “You are not a good person, but you can be a person who does good deeds”. Can you explain what you mean by that?

[@delo18th]

You can’t knee and kick downed opponents body or head in ufc.

[@RamseyDewey]

You CAN kick the body and legs of a downed fighter in the UFC. Not the head. We discussed all this in detail.

[@delo18th]

​@@RamseyDewey Ive seen that be effective but that isn't really people's go to move. The illegal stuff is the good stuff.

[@prehistoricwatergun0136]

I'm awaiting the 30 minute video on why Santa isn't real (with the obvious side tangent about how he could beat up Bruce Lee by Just falling on top of him and squishing him to death)

[@PicaPauDiablo1]

Falling on Bruce Lee doesn't work on the Streetz

[@prehistoricwatergun0136]

@@PicaPauDiablo1 but it sure does work IN duh streetz

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

But he is real...the Easter Bunny told me so

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

​@PicaPauDiablo1 stop with the Rapcrap...it for the street

[@prehistoricwatergun0136]

@@DENVEROUTDOORMAN Don't listen to him, I heard he trains exclusively in Krav-Makido and skull conditioning

[@grigoreureche345]

Ramsey, here is a question:can a martial artist call himself a warrior?A warrior is someone that fought in a war but I see that a lot of MA practitioners today are calling themselves warriors although all they did is some kata and some non-contact sparring.And others do less than this.Can MMA fighters or kickboxers be called warriors?What type of martial artists can call themselves warriors?

[@Kobalamin88]

I dont think this is necessarily the issue. I think using a knee or kicking a grounded opponent makes someone more careful with their takedown atempts. if the takedown fails and the grappler ends underneath their opponent, like you have showed, the knee becomes available. But not being allowed to knee fighter limits you and encourages reckless takedown attempts. These rules might disencourage sloppy takedown atempts. They might be a Game changer but not in the way many people imagined. This is my opinion.

[@RamseyDewey]

It wasn’t the superior grapplers underneath their opponents in those clips. You’ve got it backwards.

[@ericschaab5135]

What causes more damage? A knee to the head or a stomp with the heel? 🤔 I know Ramsey got his skull broken by a punch, but is that kind of damage caused by knees or kicks frecuently? Haven't watch MMA for ages...

[@RamseyDewey]

A punch with loaded wraps. And a break to the strongest skeletal structure in my skull. That isn’t normal, by the way. There are many variables that determine the power of a strike. And even more variables that determine the destructive capacity of a strike (power being only one)

[@Xzontyr]

Knees and head butts should be allowed in all mma promotions in regards to the ground game. Very valuable tools. I'd like to see combat jiu jitsu introduce them, aswell as all legal standing strikes aswell, even if it just means palms in place of closed fist punches.

[@RamseyDewey]

Would you like to compete under that rule set?

[@Xzontyr]

@RamseyDewey In my prime, yes. I also think it's fair to those that know how to use it. In our sambo we played with them. Also had utilized them in past employment as security in an adult establishment to their full effect. I love complex grappling, but I certainly do think there should be a devision for those that want to try it.

[@aphidbowler7027]

what do you think of MMA guru's recent video where he basically says you should be able to knee grounded opponents? he says that many grapplers exploit this rule and it gives unfair advantage to grapplers. This is how i interpreted it.

[@RamseyDewey]

I don’t know who that is. Universal MMA rules allow for knees the head of downed opponent. Unified rules ban knees to the head of downed opponents. Fight under the rule set you want. Watch fights under the rule set you want. No one is stopping anyone from doing this.

[@mikehrt]

Heath Herring is way more effective when he can knee from North South.

[@RamseyDewey]

Everyone is.

[@thebobbytytesvarrietyhour4168]

So follow up question, do you think knees to the head of an opponent are safe enough to be allowed?

[@Sbv-25]

Knees to the head are already legal though. Remember Masvidal’s flying knee against Askren? Instant knockout as soon as the round started! Safety has nothing to do with it. Fighting is dangerous If you mean grounded knees, that’s already allowed in MMA promotions that don’t use Unified rules

[@RamseyDewey]

Fighting isn’t safe.

[@Sbv-25]

Is there a technique you can’t use as much anymore because of your knee condition? You coulda fooled me with how dextrous you can still be in spite of it. Sorry if it sounds touchy I like your new editing style by the way

[@RamseyDewey]

There are MANY techniques I can’t use any more. Many of my best. What’s this about a new editing style? What’s different?

[@Sbv-25]

⁠​⁠@@RamseyDeweyi think there’s more flashy effects to the text and to the Picture-in-Picture compared to your older videos. I watch your older technique videos a lot and this one feels different. Keep on keeping on, Coach

[@Zurenarrh]

simple question: Can I master specific taekwondo kicking techniques by watching youtube tutorials and practicing the techniques a million times every day? It seems to me that the answer is yes as far as knowing the kick, but of course applying the kick is going to be a whole different game. For now I only want to know the techniques though, I will know worry about application when I find a partner.

[@deenmeah2162]

Is MMA a good way to help with self defense when you can’t run away? How do I mix Muay Thai with BJJ? I know both of them, but how do I mix them? Also, in my childhood martial arts, I remember there being 5th grade black belts in taekwondo. Is that a sign of a McDojo?

[@willwailes9298]

You should look up Kevin Secours. He's the only legit Systema guy I've ever seen. It's still weird, but his grappling instruction is awesome.

[@terencejeffries5359]

how do all ? still think ground fighting is ugly, [ and know ]. when fullback for norcross greeting cards soccer team i had set with goalie to high bowl the ball so it bounces to chest high. heaps easier and probably more effective than ground kicking/ kneeing in a fight/ comp. taztez

[@ramondiaz2851]

Like the game of death karate gi!! Kool brother RAM 🐏!!

[@ilopgaara]

Damn dog, Shogun was blasting these dudes lmao.

[@GeorgeOu]

I think One or some other Asian organization many years ago announced some special rules for soccer kicks to a downed opponent. By default you weren't allowed to soccer kick, but if the referee sees the downed opponent is not dazed and defending, the ref can declare legal soccer kicks. Wikipedia said One FC banned soccer kicks in 2016. I know One FC still permits knees as Mighty Mouse found out the hard way a few fights ago.

[@RamseyDewey]

Yeah, the old OneFC rule was super weird and confusing. You basically had to ask the ref for permission first.

[@Juel92]

Socker kicks always seemed nigh useless to me. Stomps seem useful sometimes but also the damage one can do in short time against a non-defending opponent seems pretty harsh. It's harder to punch with the same power as quickly as it is to stomp them if they're down I think. Knees always seemed very useful to me.

[@bolieve603]

The flip side is that one thing soccer kicks and stomps do change is that the chance of recovering from getting dropped is way lower. That's the tricky thing, you know these fights you're referencing should have been stopped because of how out of it the guy was when the fight was stopped, in many cases you can't say for sure he wouldn't have recovered if those strikes hadn't landed. Now knees on the ground are a totally different story, stalling in bad positions just stops being an option. There's a good example when GSP was fighting in UCC vs Thomas Denny. Oh crap didn't watch the whole video yet

[@cahallo5964]

I know you said stomps to the head specifically, but I think stomping to the legs and body creates way to pass the guard on the future, like Rocky Marciano punching the guard on purpose to get them to not block in later rounds.

[@RamseyDewey]

Under unified (UFC) rules stomps to any part of the body of a downed opponent are always a foul. A strike with the leg to a downed fighter must be a kick (meaning it has a trajectory other than straight up to straight down. Eg: round kick, knee, axe kick, etc) all kicks, knees, and stomps to the head of a downed fighter are fouls.

[@GaelicMongrel2023]

Great video, but you did miss one more issue that makes knees to the head of a downed opponent such a game changer: UFC rules have gotten pretty loose with the definition of "downed opponent".

[@RamseyDewey]

They absolutely have not “gotten pretty loose with the definition of a downed opponent”. It’s clearly defined. Do you need an explanation?

[@GaelicMongrel2023]

@@RamseyDewey I meant in the sense that one knee on the ground counts. That seems loose to me. Or were you saying that it's clear because one knee on the ground counts?

[@RamseyDewey]

@@GaelicMongrel2023 "Downed fighter" is clearly defined. If any part of the body besides the soles of the feet (*with one exception I will explain) touches the mat, you are a downed fighter. *If two hands and two feet touch the floor, you are a downed fighter. That is crystal clear, and perfectly defined, with no room for subjective interpretation.

[@GaelicMongrel2023]

@@RamseyDewey Fair enough. The point I was trying to make was that if you have just one knee on the ground, you're considered a downed opponent and your opponent can't knee you in the head.

[@RamseyDewey]

@@GaelicMongrel2023 And? What about that constitutes the "UFC rules have gotten pretty loose with the definition of downed opponent"? That's a false statement on all accounts. Did you mean to say that you want fighters on their knees to be considered as standing opponents?

[@piotrd7355]

Great stuff, however, I think that the "failed" stomps on Ricardo Arona's head allowed Shogun to deliver the hammer fists that ended the fight.

[@RamseyDewey]

That one particular fight was somewhat of the exception to what I’m saying here. While the stomps didn’t do the damage, as you rightly pointed out, because Shogun was able to use them, his opponents defense did lead to that outcome.

[@GooGooBars1]

Do u still train with Jordan Chao? He was funny on the women's self-defense videos

[@RamseyDewey]

Jourdan moved back to Canada a while back. Before he left, we recorded several videos I haven’t posted yet, including another women’s self defense one.

[@GooGooBars1]

@@RamseyDewey - Oh ok. Look forward to it. He's a scary man with those rubber knives lol.

[@dperry203]

I have always said soccer kicks are good and stomps are not. After seeing them for year in Pride. Stomps were really only landing when someone was already down and out. Where you would pounce and finish with strikes to get the ref to stop it in the UFC. In Pride you lazily walk over and stomp them and take less risk of going to the ground if they recover. But it’s much more dangerous to stomp an out opponent when it wasn’t really needed. Other than that it’s very hard to get in position to land it on someone who isn’t already out. They will keep their guard between you and their head away or get up. It was rarely ever effective when an opponent was in the fight. Soccer kicks were used a lot more and effective in many situations. Soccer kicks shoukd be allowed and I’m fine with not allowing stomps. Not useful enough to warrant the dangers of stomping and breaking the skull of someone who was already finished. I’m so happy to pointed this out. I do think there is places for soccer kicks even with a good ref but it’s rare. But stomps are almost useless. It was easy to see but most people are caught up in the shock factor of it rather than analyzing what they are seeing and why. They are just being entertained and not learning.

[@leonidvishniakov3810]

Can you make an axe kick tutorial?

[@RamseyDewey]

I could have… before my knees were crippled for life by that idiot at the USDC. You need a functioning PCL to land an axe kick.

[@RamseyDewey]

Here’s a video I made covering some aspects of the axe kick: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKqXgoKCmbusotEsi=n8fBizl9-A56RiqX

[@leonidvishniakov3810]

You teach this kick in you gym?

[@andymax1]

They seem ok for the cage when you have a ref.

[@Chraan]

They are just pointless, it's ok to ban them because they only come into effect if the fight is already over and the ref happens to be bad, has a blackout, etc etc. So only the ban on knees is questionable.

[@andymax1]

@@Chraan fighter safety first, no need to disallow if the fighter can intelligently defend, if they are already out or can’t move then the ref needs to do their job.

[@CryptoC4T]

I thought that allowing/banning the kicks to a downed opponent influence a chance to get up to a standing position. I did a scenario of avoiding kicks while on the ground and it was quite easy even for untrained person as long as stamina lasted, the getup part was significantly more tricky when kicks were allowed, but again - participants had pretty low level of skill so mabe in pro MMA its way different.

[@RamseyDewey]

Keep in mind, we’re discussing kicks to the head of a downed opponent. Kicks to legs and body of a downed opponent are always legal.

[@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh]

​​​@@RamseyDeweyBut the legs and body are more resistant than the Head the game change with soccer kick, No one get finished with a kick in the legs.

[@Sbv-25]

@@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lhhave you forgotten the power of thigh/calf kicks?

[@RamseyDewey]

@@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh leg kick finishes happen all the time.

[@oxitocin7718]

jesus christ pride might as well not have refs!

[@Sbv-25]

Considering the yakuza ties. They probably don’t know anything about reffing

[@andymax1]

Brother in law had a head stomp in the streetz whilst he was knocked out, brain damage and 3 months to learn how to talk again.

[@barefoot2478]

Wtf.

[@michaelmcclenon6663]

Brother was soft

[@andymax1]

@@michaelmcclenon6663he was changed psychologically, he is not the same person.

[@amang1001]

Godamn sorry to hear that...

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

In the Streets no RAPCRAP

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

You okay, Ramsey D-Man? Not seen you for a few weeks. Probably just on holiday or taking time off YT.

[@RamseyDewey]

I’ve been sick with a respiratory infection.

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

@@RamseyDewey Ah! Hope you get well soon.

[@Loveinfinity24]

Are you still training and teaching in Shanghai Ramsey?

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep.

[@Loveinfinity24]

@@RamseyDewey I sent you a dm 🤝

[@RamseyDewey]

@@Loveinfinity24 youtube doesn't do dm's

[@leftvassis]

I guess the main takeaway from the video is, these techniques wont be used against a opponent actively defending himself and removing them avoids damage because of incompetent referees. Bad stoppages will always be a thing, so making them illegal was the right call imo. Also keep in mind a soccer kick is easily the most powerful kick you can produce and with a stomp your head has nowhere to move, its double the impact and the second one is the back of the head hitting the mat, very dangerous

[@Thatsnotgonnawork]

You can't make rules based on the idea that refs are incompetent, because refs should be competent.

[@DouglasGomesBueno-jw9lh]

Look at Zhang fight she got knockdown and recover on the ground, If Yan Xiaonan can Soccer Kick Zhang Head the fight are over kick the legs are not a finisher like kicking the head.

[@Redgyart]

We need more refs like you!

[@Codac6]

But what about the streetz!?

[@cranerigging3604]

Soccer kick ain't nothin ... Basketball elbow's are deadly ! 👍

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

I'm not sure if untrained people could protect against Soccer kicks to a downed opponent; but, white belts in BJJ, and the proliferation of eyeballs watching MMA, (but not training) would probably, instinctively, do it.

[@Danetto]

hey man how are u?

[@RamseyDewey]

I’ve been sick with a respiratory infection for a few weeks. Thanks for asking!

[@Danetto]

@@RamseyDewey hope u get well :)

[@eprd313]

Please expose Adam Mizner's farce

[@teeprice7499]

Rugby kicks for the win! Just kidding. Thanks for posting this!

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

yooo0000 Ramsey are you ok?

[@RamseyDewey]

I’ve been sick for a while. Another respiratory infection.

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

@@RamseyDewey sorry to hear that. Speedy recovery! 🙏

[@BobbyxZx]

respectfully, you're wrong. i've fought under both rules. there's a reason you go over it at every fighter's meeting. being able to knee to the head on the ground completely changes how you wrestle and what takedowns you can do. also, soccer kicks and stomps are highly effective when you're able to get the throw and op can't escape back to neutral. i offer shogun's entire career as my evidence. also, kneeing a guy in the head while he's under you in a double leg ends careers. just ask ben askren. i'm totally down to bring them back, it's better than seeing a guy lose from an eye gouge, but there's a pretty high danger level to say it's a non issue. it is undeniable that pride was the golden age of the sport, tho, so i'm down to see them come back. just pay the fighters equal to the risk is all.

[@RamseyDewey]

We discussed knees in detail here. You’re not disagreeing with me.

[@RavenGuardian]

Unrelated, I know you use to compete in American kickboxing, but what happened to the sport? Just seems non existent nowadays, how did that happen?

[@RamseyDewey]

Other combat sports became more popular, and other kickboxing rule sets became more predominant.

[@carlossotelo5545]

12 to 6 elbows are a nosense... Soccer kicks and stomps to the heads that should change the game at least a little bit. That are My toughts before watch the vid. Regards Ramsey

[@baoxidiaoyu]

How much of a kick to the head is flying to the USA from China with small children? Also why is the best restaurant in Shanghai airport?

[@RamseyDewey]

Fly Korean Air instead of China Eastern Airlines. More leg room, better food, better service. In the 15+ years I’ve lived in China, I’ve flown to the USA and back 4 times. Shanghai has 2 airports. I don’t keep track of the restaurants there.

[@beatsfromsoda]

Listen Ramsey, I am a “FoDaStreets” Ambassador, you don’t need to train because it will not help you in da streets. You better train in da streets to be a real fighter otherwise you’re a cosplay warrior. You bring that jiujitu to the real streets and you will see quickly why you can’t hang with us. Mic drop we use real punches to the faces unlike mma that use pads hold their punches because the haven’t learned to unleash that real street thug in them. Only prison and da streets is where you can learn that stuff

[@abaddontheannihilator8144]

The arguments you make here are pretty weak. For one you talked about the sparring example between those two guys and what's really ignorant about that is the fact that the guy on the ground is only expecting a stomp or a kick to the head. So of course he is going to defend that easily since that is the only thing he knows it's coming at him. That would be like saying jabs are not a game-changer because you told a sparring partner to only throw jabs at the other guy and the other guy was able to block and slip them. As far as your argument about how they only land when the guy is already tko'd and unconscious. That's just as dumb as saying punching a guy in mount position isn't a game changer because he was already unconscious when you knocked him to the ground. If you knock a guy to the ground and a referee does not stop the fight, kicking him or stomping him on the face will end it really fast as opposed to having to go above the guy and throw punches which can put you at risk of getting armbarred if the guy is able to recover.

[@ronmka8931]

i dunno imagine if Jorge Masvidal landed soccer kicks/stomps to Ben Askren rather than much less powerful punches? Since the referee cant always intervene at the right time, it will always allow the opponent to land extra "super necessary" blows which is something I don't like about MMA but I realise you cant build a rule to prevent unnecessary blows since refs will make mistakes as it is a subjective thing for when a fighter is "out" or not intelligently defending themselves.

[@carlossssssss5492]

Brother, rewatch the fight. Masvidal landed on his ass after that knee, it would have taken him way longer to get back on his feet and start kicking than it took him to scurry to him for those punches.

[@ronmka8931]

@@carlossssssss5492 im giving an example, a better one would be usman after knocking out masvidal with one punch and he was in a good position to stomp him.

[@bongkem2723]

your demonstration looks too light and friendly, the soccer kicks and stomps are explosive and stomps from a jump can't be block with any kind of guard !!!

[@faithalone5081]

Sweep to jumping kick Soccer kicks are just like headkicks really good thing in arsenal but not as good as bread and butter Most kos are by punches

[@RamseyDewey]

Of course they can. You think I haven’t been there and done that? I fought under this rule set many times.

[@NDOhioan]

@@RamseyDewey *But Ramsey,* you don't *understand!* Those soccer kicks and stomps *have* to be effective, otherwise people on the internet might have to admit that striking doesn't have all the answers! You wouldn't be so heartless as to ruin their weeaboo power fantasies of stopping every takedown with perfectly-timed shots or "just learning to sprawl," would you? Boo on you, sir!

[@hypnoticskull6342]

Yeah, but they're cool

[@RamseyDewey]

Only people who haven’t been on the receiving end of one think that.

[@hypnoticskull6342]

@@RamseyDewey Yeah. Rampage Jackson 100% has some type of foot phobia after his fight against Shogun lol

[@jamestickle3070]

If they aren’t a game changer… then neither is banning them. If they are only effective after the match is won, then the aggressor doesn’t lose out if he can’t do it. But the better optics are a gain for the organization to the know nothing regulators who make rules just based on how brutal it looks.

[@MrMagnaniman]

That's my thought. If they don't work, but also add extra danger to the fighters, banning them seems entirely reasonable.

[@Thatsnotgonnawork]

They are a game changer though because there are less positions to stall in when kicks are legal

[@MrMagnaniman]

@@Thatsnotgonnawork Interesting point.

[@tsuchinoko9417]

I think theres a degree of intensity and realism missing from this testing. There where no gaurd passes, sub attempts and only gaurd pulling was shown. Off a sprawl, throw, gaurd pass, or turtle. Soccer kicks/stomping make a lot more sense than what we usually see, which might be a half baked submission attempt to keep the dominant position or ineffective ground strikes. And this isnt even going into when people land with their back facing the cage.

[@RamseyDewey]

Off a sprawl, turtle, or guard passing, soccer kicks make zero sense. In order to do a soccer kick you have to stand up. If you stand up, you are no longer controlling your opponent in any of those positions.

[@tsuchinoko9417]

@@RamseyDewey you dont need control just positioning. Imagine your opponent turtles and your standing. He either stays in turtle or attempts to stand or pull gaurd. I've seen it happen in one of crocops matches where he used soccer kicks to a non dazed turtling opponent