Biting in Combat Sports: The UFC Rules and the Most Infamous Bites

Even in a sport where fighters can punch, kick, choke and throw each other, some things are never allowed. Biting is at the top of the list. It was one of the very few rules at the first UFC event in 1993, when organizers promoted the show as having almost no rules at all, and it remains a serious foul under the rules every major MMA organization uses today.

What the rules say

Most MMA events in the United States are run under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, adopted by state athletic commissions. These rules list fouls that referees must punish, and biting is one of them, alongside eye gouging, groin strikes, head butts, strikes to the back of the head and fish-hooking.

Foul	Allowed in UFC?
Biting	No
Eye gouging	No
Head butts	No
Groin strikes	No
Strikes to the back of the head or spine	No
Small-joint manipulation (fingers, toes)	No
Elbows, knees, kicks to a standing opponent	Yes

What happens when a fighter bites

The referee has several options, depending on how serious and intentional the foul is:

• Warning – rarely used for biting, which is almost always treated as deliberate.
• Point deduction – the judges subtract points from the offending fighter's score.
• Disqualification – the most common result for a clear, intentional bite. The bitten fighter wins.

After the fight, the athletic commission can also suspend and fine the fighter. Bites can cause serious injuries and infections, which is why commissions treat them harshly.

The most infamous bites in sports

Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield (1997)

The most famous bite in sports history did not happen in the UFC but in boxing. In their June 1997 heavyweight rematch in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear, was penalized points, then bit the other ear and was disqualified at the end of the third round. Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined millions of dollars. He later regained his license, and he and Holyfield eventually became friends.

Luis Suárez

The Uruguayan soccer striker was suspended three separate times for biting opponents. The third bite, on Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, earned him a long ban from all football activity imposed by FIFA, which made headlines around the world.

Biting in MMA

Biting is rare in MMA, partly because fighters wear mouthguards and partly because the penalties are severe. When referees have seen fighters bite, the usual result has been disqualification. Fighters who suspect a bite often show the referee the mark immediately so it can be checked.

Other fouls fans often confuse with biting

Several other illegal techniques come up in discussions of dirty fighting:

• Fish-hooking – putting fingers into an opponent's mouth, nose or ear and pulling. Like biting, it is banned because it can cause serious injury.
• Eye pokes – the most common foul in modern MMA, usually accidental, caused by fighters reaching out with open hands. Referees often pause the fight to let the fighter recover.
• Holding the fence – grabbing the cage to prevent a takedown. It is a foul that can cost a point.
• Grabbing the gloves or shorts – illegal under the Unified Rules.
• Kneeing a grounded opponent – knees to the head of an opponent on the ground are illegal under the Unified Rules.

How referees check for a bite

Bites often happen in clinches or on the ground, where the referee cannot see clearly. When a fighter complains, the referee can pause the action and look for teeth marks. The ringside doctor may examine the wound. If the referee did not see the foul, the commission can review video after the event and change the result or issue penalties. Mouthguards, which every fighter must wear, make serious bites harder but not impossible.

Why the rule exists

Combat sports draw a line between hard, legal techniques that fighters train to defend and dirty tactics that can cause injuries no defense can prevent. Human bites carry a high risk of infection and can cause permanent damage. Banning them, along with eye gouges and other fouls, is what separates sport from a street fight and allows athletic commissions to license the events at all.

How UFC rules have changed since 1993

The first UFC events had almost no weight classes, no time limits and only a handful of rules. Over the following years, pressure from athletic commissions and lawmakers led to the Unified Rules, weight classes, rounds, gloves and a much longer list of fouls. These changes made the sport safer and helped it become mainstream. For a look at how MMA compares with other combat sports, see our guide to the modern boxing-like sports and the hardest sports in the world.