Contrary to popular belief, wristlocks are actually legal in MMA and they are completely lawful. The myth that they were banned due to safety was created by Aikido and similar traditional martial artists who claimed that they were too dangerous. Actually, wristlocks aren’t illegal but instead small joint manipulation is. This is to stop people from getting fingers broken in the same way eye gouging is illegal for obvious reasons. Basically, MMA is brutal enough as it is without adding more areas for injury.
With this in mind, the question has to be asked as to why wristlocks are almost completely unheard of in MMA and UFC. The reason isn’t that they’re ultra dangerous either. It’s actually because they are hard to finish due to the nature of MMA gloves. Here, we shall delve into this curiosity in more detail.
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So, why are wristlocks so rare in MMA?
As established, it’s incredibly difficult to bend MMA gloves. These gloves are designed to protect fighters from getting hit in the head. Whilst they aren’t as big as boxing gloves, they are still thick enough to withstand twisting. In martial arts such as BJJ and others, gloves are not used which makes wristlocks far more common.
In brief, MMA gloves act as a shield or armor against your wrist bones and ligaments. Imagine fighting with a sword with and without armor, your success rate of harming your opponent would lower significantly when armor is added. This is kind of how MMA gloves work when protecting the wrists. Funnily enough, this wasn’t the original intention of MMA gloves and it probably wasn’t even a consideration. However, the end result was that wrists are protected from twists and wristlocks.
Can wristlocks still be done through MMA gloves?
If you’ve ever tried this, then it’s very hard. Having said this, it is possible…although it’s also very difficult. Basically, you need to be extra patient and controlled when doing this compared to a free wrist. Due to this, most MMA practitioners won’t be thinking about even attempting a wristlock due to how difficult they are, albeit they are not impossible. As well, most fights will also include wrist wraps which only add yet another degree of protection to the fighter.
Are wristlocks optimal in MMA?
Even without gloves, the reality is that wristlocks would still be very rare. There are two reasons for this. The first is that they require a certain degree of control. Usually, this means pinning the opponent’s elbow from a top position and then pushing on the wrist. Firstly, this is not optimal in an MMA setting. Usually, if you’re in this dominant position, you will look to either pass the guard or be in mount or a good position anyway.
Because of this, you may opt for raining down punches or higher percentage submissions. As far as wristlocks go, they are fairly low percentage yet low risk. The point is that even if MMA was bare knuckle, most fighters would prioritize more efficient ways to end the fight before attempting a wrist lock.
The second reason is due to the tough nature of most MMA fighters. If you’re in a cage, especially at a professional level then you may be willing to let your wrist break. Although it isn’t ideal and can be a pain to recover from, it isn’t a major break. In fact, many MMA fighters will break their wrists whilst punching during fights anyway. Combined with toughness and adrenaline, many will happily let their wrist break before tapping. In some cases, fighters soldier on with broken legs or arms, so a broken wrist will not bother most.
From a tactical, attacking perspective – breaking the wrist would certainly help and may open up a guard pass. However, it doesn’t guarantee you victory. Combined with needing a great level of control to begin with, this is the reason why wristlocks aren’t seen in MMA.
Is there ever a case for wristlocks in MMA?
As established, wristlocks aren’t exactly easy in MMA and even in BJJ they aren’t easy. For the sake of argument imagine MMA was bare knuckle. One example of them being used could be for guard passing. As a threat, they may be able to set up passes if applied properly. Imagine being stuck in top half guard and you can’t quite pass but control the elbow.
From here you could threaten a wristlock which may cause the opponent to panic and allow the guard pass. Similarly, if an opponent wouldn’t let go of their grip in an armbar, you could go for a wristlock to help pry their arms open. Whilst these concepts are fine in BJJ, they are unrealistic with gloves involved. Until gloves change though, this is merely theory.
Final Thoughts
Seeing as wristlocks aren’t common in BJJ to begin with, you can see why they’re not seen in MMA or UFC. As discussed, if you combine this with the impracticality of stubborn gloves, lack of positional control and the warrior mentality of fighters – it’s clear to see why wristlocks aren’t seen in MMA.
However, there is some hope. In the future, gloves could be re-designed at some point which could lead to a rise in wristlocks. Nonetheless, the impractical nature of attempting them would still mean they remained incredibly in common. With this in mind, don’t expect to see them anytime soon in MMA and if you’re reliant on them in the gym with an MMA career in mind, it may be ideal to re-think your priorities.
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