"You cannot ban all kicks" - Valentina Shevchenko says oblique kicks are dangerous but fighters should be prepared to defend it

Valentina Shevchenko has chimed in with her take on the debate regarding whether or not oblique kicks should be banned from MMA. Shevchenko suggested that while oblique kicks to the knee are dangerous, they shouldn’t be outlawed.

The reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion indicated that banning all kicks from the sport of MMA isn’t the logical thing to do.

The kick has become a topic of discussion after a gruesome leg injury was caused by an oblique kick during the Khalil Rountree vs. Modestas Bukauskas light heavyweight bout. During the UFC Vegas 36 bout, Rountree landed an oblique kick to Bukauskas’ left leg and won via second-round TKO after Bukauskas was left injured.

Speaking to James Lynch ahead of her upcoming title defense at UFC 266, Valentina Shevchenko addressed the Rountree-Bukauskas incident. Upon being asked for her views on the same, Shevchenko stated:

“To the knee, it’s very dangerous kick. It’s, yeah, it’s kind of like, very bad, bad kick because it’s injure. You have very bad injury from this kick”. Shevchenko added that you have to be prepared to defend against the kick, “In the same time, you just have to be ready. You just have to prepare. You cannot ban all kicks, right? You cannot ban everything. Yeah, it’s kind of like, it’s mixed martial arts. It’s kind of like, allowed.”

“And probably, you know, it’s kind of like, it was not a kick right to the knee. It was kick to the thigh, like, a little bit higher than the knee. But then, the kick just like, slide down a little bit, and that’s why it happened like what happened. But yeah, definitely, I think most fighters, they just have to think about it like it can happen. And then, it just starts like, train for this to be ready for this happen.”

Watch Valentina Shevchenko's interview below:

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Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her title at UFC 266

Valentina Shevchenko (left); Lauren Murphy (right)

UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against challenger Lauren Murphy at UFC 266. The fight against Murphy is regarded as yet another important matchup for Shevchenko as she looks to continue her reign of dominance.

🏆 Volkanovski v Ortega🏆 Shevchenko v Murphy🔥 Diaz v Lawler II Two fantastic title tights and two Octagon OGs throwing down in just two weeks time!#UFC266 | Sep 25 | BT Sport pic.twitter.com/zxM6j7GSXi

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) September 11, 2021

The UFC 266 fight card will be headlined by a men’s featherweight title matchup between reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega. The card also features the return of MMA icon Nick Diaz against fellow UFC legend Robbie Lawler.