Scott Coker requests rule change from California athletic commission
Ground-game finishing options could expand under proposed rules
The so-called "four-point knee kick" — once a signature technique of Japanese MMA organization Pride FC — may be poised for a comeback on the American stage.
Scott Coker, who previously led Strikeforce and Bellator, is pushing his new promotion Ki MMA to allow fighters to knee a grounded opponent in the head.
According to MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie, Coker has formally asked the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to permit Ki MMA to operate under a different set of rules than the standard Unified Rules of MMA.
Coker said on social media that he has "always believed MMA must continue to evolve" and asked the commission to discuss incorporating elements of international MMA rules. Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson also confirmed that Coker is pursuing the legalization of the technique.
The move commonly known as the four-point knee kick involves striking a grounded opponent's head with a knee. It was a staple of Pride FC but is banned under the Unified Rules of MMA used by the UFC and most major promotions.
The technique can deliver a powerful blow to the head capable of producing a knockout. Allowing it would give the dominant fighter more finishing options on the ground, potentially transforming the dynamics of bouts. Proponents argue it would add tension to ground exchanges that can otherwise become tedious positional battles or passive clinch work, while raising the likelihood of a finish.
Pride FC's spiritual successors — Japan's Rizin and South Korea's Black Combat — both permit the four-point knee kick, along with soccer kicks and stomps.
Coker is not seeking to revive all of Pride FC's striking rules, however. Soccer kicks to a downed opponent's head, stomps and so-called linear knee kicks have all been excluded from his request.
Ki MMA has asked the CSAC to take up the matter at its meeting on Dec. 1.
Coker unveiled plans for Ki MMA in September, with the promotion targeting early 2027 for its debut event. Unlike the UFC, Ki MMA will hold bouts in a ring rather than a cage and is preparing a 32-man featherweight grand prix.
Should Ki MMA adopt a ring setting reminiscent of Pride and Rizin along with ground knee strikes, the promotion would offer a distinctly different product from the major North American organizations.
Meanwhile, the UFC itself loosened its definition of a grounded opponent in November 2024. Under the old rules, a fighter with a hand touching the mat was considered grounded and therefore protected from knee strikes to the head. The revised rules now allow knee strikes against a fighter who has only a hand on the canvas. Striking the head of an opponent with a knee, elbow or other limb on the mat remains prohibited.
The rules Ki MMA is pursuing go a step further, allowing knee strikes to the head of an opponent who is fully lying or face-down on the ground.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
