It is the most-screamed-about call in the sport. A fighter turtles up, the punches rain down, and half the arena is on its feet yelling about the back of the head.
Most of them are wrong — and they are wrong for a specific reason. They are using the boxing definition, and MMA’s illegal zone is far narrower. The ear is a legal target. So is most of the back of the skull.
Can You Hit the Back of the Head In the UFC?
No. Striking the back of the head is a foul in the UFC. But the illegal zone is much smaller than most fans think: it is a narrow mohawk strip running down the centreline of the skull, plus the nape of the neck below the top of the ear. Everything else — including the ear itself and the sides of the back of the head — is a legal target.
That single distinction explains almost every argument you have ever had about this rule.
Where Exactly Is the Back of the Head In the UFC?
The illegal zone is defined in two parts, split at the top of the ear. Above the top of the ears, only the mohawk strip down the centreline is off limits. Below the top of the ears, the entire nape of the neck is off limits.
The Association of Boxing Commissions defines the mohawk strip as running from the crown of the head straight down the centreline, with roughly a one-inch variance to each side — a corridor about two inches wide. The crown is where the skull begins to curve.
Below that, the protected area starts at the occipital junction and runs down the neck to the top of the trapezius. From there, the spine is protected all the way to the tailbone.
| Target | Legal in the UFC? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The ear | Legal | A strike landing at least partially on the ear is generally a fair blow |
| Behind the ear, outside the strip | Legal | Sits outside both the mohawk corridor and the nape |
| The mohawk strip (centreline, above the ears) | Illegal | Roughly two inches wide, running down from the crown |
| The nape of the neck (below the top of the ear) | Illegal | Protected from the occipital junction to the trapezius |
| The spine | Illegal | Protected all the way down to the tailbone |
| The temple | Legal | Not part of the back of the head at all |
| The crown of the head | Legal | The protected strip begins *behind* the crown |
A rule of thumb used by officials: a strike in the back-of-the-head region is generally acceptable if it lands at least partially on the ear.
What Is the Mohawk Rule In MMA?
The mohawk rule is the shorthand for MMA’s illegal strike zone. Picture a mobile phone laid flat on the crown of the head and slid straight down the back of the skull — the strip it covers is the protected area. Everything either side of it is fair game.
The name comes from a genuine argument. When the rules were being written, officials were split between two competing definitions:
- The “mohawk” definition — only a thin stripe down the centre of the back of the skull is illegal.
- The “headphones” definition — everything between the ears, across the whole back half of the head, is illegal.
The ABC’s rules committee landed on a compromise, sometimes called the nape of the neck definition. Below the top of the ears, the headphones camp effectively won: the whole nape is protected. Above the top of the ears, the mohawk camp won: only the narrow centre strip is off limits.
Boxing never made that compromise. Its illegal zone extends much further around the skull — which is precisely why fans raised on boxing shout at MMA referees who are, in fact, applying the rule correctly.
Is It Legal to Hit Behind the Ear In the UFC?
Yes. Hitting behind the ear is legal in the UFC, provided the strike stays out of the mohawk strip and above the nape. The ear itself is a legal target, and a punch that lands partly on it is generally a fair blow.
This is the fact that reframes the whole rule. When a fighter is turtled up and taking hammerfists, the vast majority of those shots are landing on the side and rear-side of the skull — not in the two-inch corridor that is actually protected.
Whose Fault Is It If a Fighter Turns Into a Punch?
Nobody’s. If a fighter throws a strike at a legal target and their opponent turns, exposing the back of the head into the punch, no foul has occurred. The responsibility is shared.
This is the least-known part of the entire rule, and it is why referees so often let a sequence continue that looks illegal at full speed. A fighter who buries his face in the canvas and offers up his skull has not been fouled. He has made a choice.
It cuts the other way too. A fighter cannot manufacture a foul by deliberately turning into strikes, and referees are alert to those who try.
What Did Herb Dean Say About the Pereira Fight?
Herb Dean released a video explaining the rule after Alex Pereira accused him of ignoring back-of-the-head strikes in the Ciryl Gane finish at UFC Freedom 250. Dean said the prohibited zone centres on the nape of the neck and the occipital junction, covering the spine and a mohawk-shaped strip — and that the sides of the back of the head, outside that corridor, are a fair blow.
Dean also made the point that the MMA rule is not the boxing rule, and that boxing’s illegal zone extends further around the skull. Slow-motion review of the finish showed most of Gane’s sequence landing in the legal areas he described, with a small number of clear fouls visible only at reduced speed.
Which is the whole problem in one sentence: at full speed, from one angle, with a man’s safety in your hands, this is an extraordinarily hard call to make.
Has Anyone Been Disqualified for Back of the Head Strikes?
Yes. Erick Silva was disqualified against Carlo Prater at UFC 142 in January 2012, after referee Mario Yamasaki ruled that his finishing flurry included illegal strikes to the back of the head. It remains the most controversial application of the rule in UFC history.
Yamasaki had no monitor and no replay, and made the call in real time from the only angle available to him. Replays afterwards suggested the strikes were far more marginal than a disqualification implied — and the case is still cited as the argument for why instant replay exists at all.
Why Is the Back of the Head Illegal to Strike?
The back of the head is illegal to strike because the area sits directly over the brain stem and the occipital region, where a blow carries a far higher risk of catastrophic or permanent injury than a shot to the front or side of the skull.
It is the same reasoning that protects the spine, and the same reasoning behind boxing’s ban on the rabbit punch. The irony is that the protected strip is one of the thickest parts of the skull. The danger was never the bone. It is what sits behind it.
FAQs
Is the ear a legal target in the UFC?
Yes. The ear is a legal target in the UFC, and a strike landing at least partially on it is generally considered a fair blow.
Can you hit the back of the neck in the UFC?
No. The entire nape of the neck is illegal to strike, from the occipital junction down to the top of the trapezius.
Is the back of the head rule the same in boxing?
No. Boxing’s illegal zone is considerably wider, extending further around the skull. MMA protects a much narrower corridor.
What happens if a fighter hits the back of the head?
An accidental strike carries a point deduction at the referee’s discretion. An intentional one carries a mandatory two-point deduction, and a disqualification if it ends the fight.
Why do referees let so many back of the head strikes go?
Because most of them are not fouls. The legal area is far larger than fans assume, and a fighter who turns into a strike aimed at a legal target has not been fouled at all.
To Conclude
The back of the head in MMA is a two-inch strip down the centre of the skull, plus the nape of the neck below the ear. That is it. The ear is legal. The sides are legal. The temple is legal.
So the next time a fighter turtles up and the arena erupts, look at where the punches are actually landing — and remember that if the man on the bottom turned his head into them, nobody fouled anybody.
For more, read our guides to illegal moves in the UFC, what UFC referees actually do, the rabbit punch, and brain damage in the UFC.
