 The soccer kick has been a source of controversy in mixed martial arts since Gerard Gordeau 's usage of one against Teila Tuli in UFC 1 . Dr. Johnny Benjamin stated his belief that soccer kicks could cause serious injury , based on the assumption that an MMA fighter would be able to generate the same amount of force in a soccer kick as a professional association football player . Some MMA fans argue that no @-@ one has ever been seriously injured from a soccer kick and stated that there were already equally dangerous moves allowed in MMA . Dr. Johnny Benjamin argued that soccer kicks could result in broken necks and paralysis if performed with the wrong positioning and high velocity . 
