If the reverse wrist lock is legal in MMA, why is it almost never used?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Should see Chat GPT response:

I explained that the lock itself does not get the tap directly, but it gives an insane striking advantage to the controlling fighter vs the controlled fighter.

Response:

Yes—that distinction is important. What you're describing isn't really a wrist-lock submission in the way MMA judges generally think about submissions. The wrist lock is functioning primarily as a control mechanism, while the repeated strikes are what make continuing the fight untenable.

That also explains why the technique could be disproportionately effective in an uncontrolled fight despite being difficult to apply against a trained opponent. Once someone's hand/wrist is immobilized and their posture or ability to disengage is compromised, the controlling fighter may have an opportunity to strike while the other person has difficulty defending or escaping.

In an MMA context, though, there is an important difference: the referee would intervene if the position amounted to a sustained, undefended barrage of strikes, and the opponent can often concede by tapping before serious damage occurs. The rules don't require a technique to be a conventional submission hold for it to produce a stoppage.

[AI Opinion]

Reverse wrist locks are legal, but they are low-percentage in MMA. Gloves limit grip, sweat makes control harder, and fighters constantly move, rotate, and roll their wrist out. Most can escape by turning the thumb or changing angle.

They’re more useful as brief control to open elbows or ground‑and‑pound than as a pure finisher, so you rarely see them highlighted as “the” technique that ended the fight. 🥋💥

[Just_Ken]

doesn't work against a trained and skilled opponent. You try to employ it and you get knocked out.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I can do it against lower and middle kyus in a full contact spar, but you are right, brown and black belt level fighters don't make that mistake very often. I use a different lock against black belts, but with the same general purpose. It can work from standing or even grounded position, either front wrist lock or full wrist lock is easier to obtain than side arm control and almost as devastating. Of course, there are escapes and counters to simple joint locks, but they are not "useless": They can be debilitating if fully applied correctly.

[Just_Ken]

When the gloves are off and your getting concussive force in the fast it doesn't work.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I've used it in real street self-defense situations and know that it does work in the proper context.

It's actually the ONLY way to win a 1vs2 handicap against black belts, like I did when I was testing for black belt. You cannot "out strike" 2 black belts attacking you, but if you lock one down and keep his body on a line between yourself and the other, you can in fact win such a fight in full contact. I've done it before when I was 20 years old... and they were not bad fighters, they just weren't on my level. They'd fuck up just about any attacker in a real self-defense situation their own selves, but I trained 20 hours per week back then and they only trained 3 to 5 hours per week.

[Just_Ken]

Don't work if you punched in the face.

[NathanDavis]

most things are situational... if you're smart