Daniel Cormier, a UFC Hall of Famer and broadcaster, suggested banning head-first slams in MMA after a brutal knockout at UFC on ESPN 72 on August 9 2025. He argued the move, which often causes the back of the head to hit the mat, poses serious safety risks for fighters.
At UFC on ESPN 72, also known as UFC Vegas 109, Elijah Smith knocked out Toshiomi Kazama with a head-first slam in a bantamweight bout. The first-round finish at 4:10 left Kazama unconscious, requiring hospital evaluation, though CT scans showed no serious injury.
HOLY SHIT the sound of his head slamming the canvas on that powerbomb KO 😵#UFCVegas109 pic.twitter.com/dN80JkVkPl
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 9, 2025
Cormier’s Position
On Good Guy/Bad Guy, Cormier shared his view.
“There are very few rules that you have to follow [in MMA], right? One is that you can’t hit him behind the head. You hit him behind the head, that’s the biggest no-no. But if you slam him, what hits first, Chael? The back of the head. So there’s a reason we don’t get to punch behind the back of the head. So if I’m being honest, like, I don’t know that I would be opposed to that being done away with, especially in that fashion.”
He added, “So, while slamming the person right down on their head is legal, I would probably say I would not be too mad if they did away with that. Just the impact on the back of the head is crazy. In most cases, that becomes the story of the night.”
Daniel Cormier fought in the UFC from 2013 to 2020, compiling a 22-3 record. He won the light heavyweight title in 2015 and the heavyweight title in 2018 by knocking out Stipe Miocic. He retired in 2020 after a loss to Miocic and became a UFC commentator. Cormier has covered events like UFC 313 and faced scrutiny, such as Modestas Bukauskas challenging his judging comments at UFC 315. His Olympic wrestling background informs his safety focus.
MMA has seen rule change debates before. In 2009, the Unified Rules banned 12-6 elbows, but they were legalized in 2024, despite Cormier’s objections. A 2016 slam by Francis Ngannou on Curtis Blaydes raised similar safety issues. While some slams, like those by Jon Jones, avoid head impact, Cormier targets head-first slams specifically.
The UFC has not addressed Cormier’s proposal, but the Athletic Commission may review it, as they did with 12-6 elbows
