Like it or not, calf kicks have become the signature weapon of MMA.<\/p>\n
Any time two fighters are operating out of the same stance, it\u2019s almost irresponsible if one of them isn\u2019t actively trying to punt off the other\u2019s ankle. Anybody who\u2019s ever booted a soccer ball can throw a decent calf kick, and they\u2019re a relatively safe, long distance weapon if thrown with even a little bit of craft. Just one hard calf kick can drastically alter the fight if the peroneal nerve is affected<\/a>, while a handful of connections is enough to cripple a fighter for days.<\/p>\n Last night\u2019s main event between Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown was decided almost entirely by the calf kick and effectively finished inside two minutes. The matchup was billed as a grappler-kicker vs. boxer, and yet Bonfim really only needed one weapon. In the first round, he threw little else but the right calf kick. Because Brown was a boxer looking to establish his jab, his outside lead leg was exposed and vulnerable.<\/p>\n Within 90 seconds, it was compromised.<\/p>\n Once the leg is f\u2014ked, it\u2019s exceedingly difficult to work back into the fight. Really, I\u2019ve only ever seen elite wrestlers \u2014 i.e. Henry Cejudo vs. Demetrious Johnson 2, Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jan Blachowicz \u2014 pull it off. If the game plan is to strike (like Brown), it\u2019s nearly impossible to do so without the ability to plant on the lead foot. Bonfim is a much worse boxer than Brown, yet he was walking \u201cRude Boy\u201d into nasty right hands repeatedly because of how awkwardly Brown was forced to advance in his hampered stance.<\/p>\n What\u2019s so shocking is that Bonfim didn\u2019t really have to do anything to set up the calf kick. He throws \u2018em quickly and with good form, sure, but he wasn\u2019t using complicated setups. At most, he flashed the jab then fired the kick. For Brown to still have no answer at this stage of the game is an almost shocking disregard for one of the most consistently effective weapons in the sport.<\/p>\n Seriously, Benson Henderson was ruining his opponents\u2019 day with calf kicks way back in 2012. Dustin Poirier very famously showed Conor McGregor how much that weapon had changed the game in January 2021. We\u2019re more than five years into the dominance of calf kicks, and yet still a main event was just decided solely because a fighter was ill-prepared to do anything about them. In fact, the main event was not the only example from the UFC Vegas 111 card. Just a few bouts earlier on the main card, Chris Padilla took apart Ismael Bonfim \u2014 Gabriel\u2019s brother! \u2014 in large part because of his consistent low kicking.<\/p>\n Calf kick defense isn\u2019t some mystery to be solved either. The great Jose Aldo demonstrated on more than one occasion how to nullify the attack and punish opponents for trying with heel-to-butt checks. Other fighters like Stephen Thompson are theoretically vulnerable to the calf kick in their long side-on stances, yet they remain functional in the Octagon because they intentionally withdraw their lead leg and make their opponents miss. There are plentiful options to defend the calf kick, yet it decides at least a couple fights per card every weekend.<\/p>\n It\u2019s baffling. Almost every fight nowadays begins with a trade of calf kicks, because there\u2019s a not-insignificant chance one athlete will do nothing to defend and hand away victory before the bout really begins. Brown is likely to be on the sidelines for a while after this brutal loss, but when he returns, you can rest assured that his opponent will be trying to kick his lower leg to pieces once again.<\/p>\n Brown \u2014 like every other UFC fighter \u2014 has to accept that the calf kick is not an optional part of the game. It\u2019s a mandatory skill check that must be passed or the consequences will be downright brutal.<\/p>\n