Bryce Mitchell wants face stomps legal in MMA: 'That's actually my best move'

The UFC bantamweight called talk of banning oblique kicks "really, really stupid" and wants rounds and weight cuts taken out as well.

Bryce Mitchell wants stomps to the face of a grounded opponent legalised in MMA, as they were in the Pride era, and says the move would bring him more finishes.

"I think if they should be making one rule change, it should be the addition of the stomp. There's not a more effective move than the stomp; there never has been, there never will be ... I would have a lot more finishes if I could stomp a grounded opponent on their face. That's actually my best move. So every time you see me fight, I don't even get to use my best move," he said on Instagram.

The UFC bantamweight was answering talk of banning oblique kicks, the sidekicks to the knee that he counts among his best weapons. California commission director Andy Foster wants them outlawed under the Unified Rules of MMA, and Dana White has said "we don't disagree". Khalil Rountree Jr. used one to stop Modestas Bukauskas at UFC Vegas 36, leaving Bukauskas out of action for 14 months.

"They're talking about taking away the oblique kick, which is really, really stupid," Mitchell said. "It's a completely fair kick; anybody can do it. Yeah, you get your knees hurt. But guess what? It's a fight ... Who cares if you get kicked in your knee? It's a fight."

He finished: "They're trying to take another one of my moves away, the knee kick. Man, y'all need to toughen up."

His caption on the post went further. "All the rules favor the boxers who are scared of takedowns and kicks," he wrote. "These new proposed rule changes are bullsh*t. Let us fight, and if you wanna make changes, take rounds and weight cuts out so we can really get down and see who's best."

The stomp has already been left out of one push to change the rules. Ki MMA's proposal to change the Unified Rules of MMA made clear that soccer kicks, stomps and linear knee strikes are not part of its request. Britain's Paddy Pimblett has argued for allowing soccer kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent, but does not think stomps should return.

Mitchell is No. 15 in the UFC's bantamweight rankings. His last MMA fight came in June, when he submitted Santiago Luna with an arm-triangle choke at 4:52 of the third round. In September he lost a unanimous decision to Mikey Musumeci in the UFC BJJ 11 grappling main event.

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