7 Illegal Moves MMA Fighters Always Get Away With

Though not as common as some of the other fouls on this list, grabbing of the opponent's equipment is a foul designated by the unified rules of MMA and is rarely punished.

What makes the rule so contentious, and often misunderstood, is the fact that it is perfectly legal for a fighter to grab his own shorts and gloves. This is particularly useful in grappling exchanges, as evidenced by Kevin Lee biting his own glove to secure a rear-naked choke against Michael Chiesa.

However, fighters have also illegally grabbed their opponents gloves to get an advantage during the course of a contest. In a fight between Yoel Romero and Tim Kennedy at UFC 178 that was shrouded in controversy, Kennedy began to take control towards the latter part of the second round.

Then, with Romero clearly exhausted, Kennedy landed a series of uppercuts on the retreating Romero amounting to some the of most significant strikes landed in the fight up to that point. However, it later became clear that Kennedy had grabbed the inside of his opponent's glove with one hand during the exchange, leaving the Soldier of God defenceless from the barrage of punches with the referee none the wiser.