Sterling challenges Foster to fix MMA refereeing before banning oblique kicks

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has publicly challenged California Athletic Commission Director Andy Foster to address referee accountability before pursuing a ban on oblique kicks, calling the proposal a misplaced priority in a sport defined by far more dangerous techniques.

The debate was sparked earlier this month when Brunno Ferreira used oblique kicks against Edmen Shahbazyan in a preliminary bout at UFC 331. Shahbazyan protested the technique during the fight, believing it to be illegal — it is not — though he went on to win the contest without suffering a significant injury from the move. Foster nonetheless announced he would examine banning the technique, drawing swift support from UFC CEO Dana White.

Sterling, speaking to Ariel Helwani on his YouTube channel, was blunt in his assessment. “He’s gotta stop with this bullshit,” Sterling said. “It takes too long to recover? I mean, how do you recover from CTE? What the f*ck are we talking about? We’re getting head kicked with no shin pads on. We’re getting elbowed to the dome multiple times because referees want to watch a murder scene in real time happen.”

Sterling pointed to what he sees as a more urgent failure — referees allowing illegal strikes to continue without deducting points, even when fouls are repeated. “I just saw someone else get kneed in the head, and the ref is staring at him,” he said. “Can we fix accountability for following the rules first before we start trying to add new rules and change stuff?”

On the oblique kick itself, Sterling was dismissive of the concern. “Move your leg out the f*cking way. How about that? How about you practice the technique of moving your leg out of the way?” He also referenced the broader dangers of the sport, citing the knockout suffered by Raoni Barcelos as an example of the violence fighters knowingly accept. “This is a scary sport. We know what we signed up for.”

Sterling’s criticism reflects a wider frustration within the MMA community. Refereeing standards have faced sustained scrutiny in recent years, with some officials openly acknowledging reluctance to deduct points even in the face of persistent fouling. For Sterling, that cultural failure within officiating represents a far greater threat to fighter safety than any single technique — and one that Foster, as a prominent commission director, is better placed to address.

Sterling did acknowledge a prior positive interaction with Foster, noting that the director checked in on him following a brutal knockout loss to Marlon Moraes earlier in his career, but made clear that goodwill does not extend to agreeing with the current proposal.