What is a rabbit punch in MMA & Boxing?

Perhaps one of the most taboo techniques in combat sports is the rabbit punch. Despite its seemingly innocent-sounding name, the truth is that the rabbit punch is well worth its negative reputation. The reason for this is that the rabbit punch is a term used to describe the act of punching someone in the back of the head where the neck meets the spinal cord.

This is illegal in almost every martial art. However, it is most commonly seen in boxing as well as MMA. Even competitive Karate and kickboxing have outlawed it, with good reason too. The issue with hitting someone on the back of their head is that it’s incredibly dangerous. Whilst it may not cause any damage some of the time, the issue is that it can potentially kill someone. Obviously, even though MMA and boxing are based on violence – it’s done within a certain ruleset.

Unlike street fighting, these are sports that have a reputation to uphold. In other words, they aren’t a complete bloodsport without rules, which is sadly what some people perceive them to be anyway. In this article, we shall look at the rabbit punch in further detail and why it is viewed as such a dirty move.

Why is it called rabbit punch?

The rabbit punch gets its name as it re-enacts a technique used to stun rabbits before killing them. For many years, butchers have used rabbit punches to knock out a rabbit before killing them and turning them into food. Here, a butcher would get a rabbit laid out on their chopping block, and would then strike the rabbit to the back of the head with force. If hit hard enough, this could easily knock a rabbit unconscious. With this in place, the butcher could then proceed with killing the rabbit and then turning it into food.

Of course, this is quite a brutal way of doing things and is a fitting nickname for such a bad fighting technique. This is because, like rabbits – humans can also be stunned by a blow to the back of the head. Generally speaking, many mammals have a weak spot here that can be exploited. This is a part of the human body that has a poor design, so it can easily lead to extreme damage if it is exploited.

Why the rabbit punch is illegal

So far, we’ve established a little about the rabbit punch and where its unusual name comes from. Now, we shall look at why it’s illegal. Basically, there is a spot on the back of the head which is where the neck meets the spine and head. This is not really protected by any bones and doesn’t have enough muscle to protect it adequately either.

Because of this, if you get hit here, it can kill. One way of killing you with a rabbit punch is that it shuts down your brain by causing nerve damage. So, after a while – your brain stops taking in oxygen and dies. The second way that a rabbit punch can harm someone is that it damages their spinal cord. As the spinal cord is notoriously weak, this can cause paralysis if the rabbit punch does enough damage.

In other words, a rabbit punch can affect either your brain or your spine. One can lead to death, whilst the other can lead to paralysis. Neither are nice and are not worth it in terms of the risks involved with fighting.

Aside from the obvious health issues involved with rabbit punches, it also gives fighters a huge advantage if they’re willing to use rabbit punches as well. For instance, if they’re losing a fight throwing blows to the back of the neck can easily change the trajectory of the fight. So, even if they don’t cause harm, rabbit punches can still change the outcome of fights which is still very unfair.

What happens when a fighter gets hit with a rabbit punch

Rabbit punches in boxing

Arguably, rabbit punches are most common in boxing. Often, during a clinch – boxers will throw punches from either side. Here, the opponent may bob and weave to avoid getting punched in the face. If the timing is poor, then they may expose the back of their head and fall victim to a rabbit punch. Usually, if this happens from close range, then there’s not enough space or angle to cause significant damage.

So, even though this punch is illegal, it will often go unpunished and often barely goes further than a verbal warning. However, if someone were to land a rabbit punch on an opponent which caused notable damage then they may get instantly disqualified.

For instance, if the opponent faced away and was hit with a haymaker to the back of their head then this could be seen as dangerous with the bout being stopped immediately. Arguably, there is a strong case for all rabbit punches to result in an instant disqualification. However, this just doesn’t happen as most of the time these punches are from the clinch and barely do any damage. Regardless, it’s still a rule which is rarely enforced.

Rabbit punches in MMA

Rabbit punches are arguably taken more seriously in MMA compared to boxing, this is because they can be more damaging by their nature. When a boxer is put to the floor, the action stops until they are back on their feet or retired. However, in MMA the action continues. Here, fighters often turtle up to avoid strikes or getting their back taken to defend against chokes. So, this often exposes the back of their heads for rabbit punches.

This often results in hammer fists to the back of the neck or downwards elbows. Like boxing, the rules are pretty clear on this and if this happens, the referee should immediately disqualify the fighter throwing the strikes to the back of the head. However, like boxing the rules aren’t always enforced and this leads to a grey area. For instance, some may perceive blows to the back of the head as landing on the side of the head which is legal.

In some instances, referees may even feel lenient to the striker and shout “Don’t hit the back of the head” as a warning. In other words, if a fighter has been dominated and goes on to win by disqualification after being hit to the back of the head, then the referee may feel guilty. This means that they’re often left unpunished. Sometimes though, they do result in disqualification when the rules are followed correctly.

Using the rabbit punch for self defense

Firstly, we don’t condone using the rabbit punch for any form of self defense. Usually, there are easier ways to restrain an opponent, such as using BJJ, Judo, or wrestling pins to detain someone and keep them controlled without harming them.

However, it goes without saying that the rabbit punch is useful for self defense. This falls into the same category as eye gouging and neck breaks which are taught in Krav Maga. Basically, these moves should be treated as fatal – as opposed to being the first technique you attempt. In other words, in terms of morals and legalities, the rabbit punch isn’t something you should do casually.

Anyway, if your life is genuinely under threat then a rabbit punch could be used. The most realistic use of doing this would be if you manage to put your opponent into a crouching position, either from a clinch or strikes. From here, you could easily strike the back of their head. There are actually multiple videos online that show this in practice. Most of the time it leads to a knockout and the opponent comes around. However, it only takes once and you could end up being on trial for murder.

Examples of the rabbit punch in real life

The most common example of the rabbit punch is the story of Prichard Colon. Until 2015, Prichard had a perfect 15-0 record. He then fought Terrel Williams who unintentionally hit him with a rabbit punch. This clearly shook up Colon who was holding the back of his head as a natural reaction. In round three, Colon retired after his corner claimed he was disoriented.

Although Colon survived, he was changed forever and the rabbit punch caused an irreparable bleed on the brain. These days he is physically paralyzed and communicates by using his eyes. You may have seen him on social media videos that show the before and after clips. This is a tragic tale of caution and also shows that combat sports can easily maim and ruin lives forever.

Conclusion

In summary, the rabbit punch certainly deserves its reputation as an illegal move. Sadly, it still gets seen quite a lot in MMA and boxing. Although most of the time it doesn’t amount to anything serious, the issue is the odd time when it does amount to something more sinister.

With this in mind, you should also be cautious when sparring and if someone is attempting to rabbit punch you, then you should stop immediately. It doesn’t matter if they’re doing it out of ignorance or if they’re generally an idiot. The point is to prioritize your health over the spar immediately to avoid any severe injuries.

In conclusion, rabbit punching is illegal and even if it isn’t, you should still treat it with extreme caution. Overall, the rabbit punch falls into the category of potentially fatal martial arts techniques which should be avoided at all costs in sparring or during a competition.