A liver shot or liver punch is a

punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

, kick, or

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such a ...

to the right side of the

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ch ...

cage that damages the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. Blunt force to the liver can be excruciatingly painful, and an especially effective shot will incapacitate a person instantly. Thus, in

combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppon ...

, liver shots often result in technical knockouts (TKOs). Because in humans the liver is located in the right upper quadrant of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the tors ...

, below the

diaphragm Diaphragm may refer to: Anatomy * Thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle between the thorax and the abdomen * Pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, a pelvic structure * Urogenital diaphragm or triangular ligament, a pelvic structure Other * Diap ...

, a liver punch is usually made with the left hand, or the left

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

in infighting, or the regular short body hook, in a short and quick manner. The drive is usually made under and to the front of the ninth and tenth ribs upward to the base of the shoulder blade toward the spine. The punch shocks the liver, the largest

gland In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream ( endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ( exocrine gland). Structure ...

organ, and a center of blood circulation, and causes the victim to lose focus and drive, and can cause a breathless feeling in the victim. It is usually delivered when

feint Feint is a French term that entered English via the discipline of swordsmanship and fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or ...

ing an opponent to lead with his right, which leaves the body exposed; the attacker then steps in and delivers a short, stiff uppercut, over the liver, which will likely leave the average man incapacitated. Most of the time, however, a liver punch is unintentional. It begins as a left hook to the body, but as the defending boxer puts his elbow down and begins to roll with the punch, the back is exposed. Thus, the attacking boxer is frequently offered either the arm or the back of the ribs, the latter of which he will usually take instead. Front kicks and spinning back kicks, which are commonly associated with

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

and

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...

, can also target the liver to great effect.

Examples

Notable examples of liver shots in combat sport include: *

Vitali Klitschko Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; uk, Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ ; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who serves as mayor of KyivBas Rutten repeatedly knocked down Jason DeLucia with liver punches during their 1996

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki ...

fight, rupturing DeLucia's liver and earning a TKO victory.The 10 Best Signature Moves in MMA
''Bas Rutten's liver shot is #1.'' *

Micky Ward George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held ...

knocked down

Arturo Gatti Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was an Italian-Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two weight classes, Gatti held the IBF junior lightweight title from 1995 to 1998, and the WBC su ...

with a liver punch in May 2002. *

Mirko Filipović Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro C ...

knocked down Heath Herring with his signature left roundhouse kick to the liver in June 2003 at PRIDE 26. *

Bernard Hopkins Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight cla ...

knocked

Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championsh ...

out with a liver shot in 2004. * Amir Khan knocked Marcos Maidana down in the first round of their fight with a liver shot in 2010. *

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Cha ...

knocked down Brock Lesnar with a liver kick at UFC 141, December 2011. * Gennady Golovkin knocked Matthew Macklin out with a liver shot in June 2013. *

Daniel Geale Daniel Geale (born 26 February 1981) is an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2016. He held the unified WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight titles between 2011 and 2013, and the IBO middleweight title from 2007 to 2009 ...

sent Darren Barker to the canvas in the sixth round of their fight with a liver shot in 2013. *

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women� ...

knocked Sara McMann down with a knee to the liver at UFC 170, February 2014. * Lyoto Machida knocked down C.B. Dollaway with a liver kick in December 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. *

Canelo Alvarez __NOTOC__ Canelo may refer to: Geography * Canelo, Arizona, a ghost town ** Canelo Ranger Station ** Canelo School * Canelo Hills in Arizona ** Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve, a protected area People * Canelo Álvarez (born 1990; birth name Santos ...

knocked out Liam Smith following a devastating left hook to the liver in round 9. September 2016. * Anderson Silva rocked Daniel Cormier with a left kick to the liver late in the final third round at UFC 200, July 2016. * Jake Ellenberger knocked Matt Brown down with a left kick to the liver at UFC 201, July 2016. *

Olivier Aubin-Mercier Olivier Aubin-Mercier (; born February 23, 1989) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He formerly competed for the UFC until October 2019 when he became a free agent. A p ...

knocked Evan Dunham down with a knee to the liver at UFC 225, April 2018. *

Vasyl Lomachenko Vasyl Anatoliyovych Lomachenko ( uk, Василь Анатолійович Ломаченко, ; also spelled Vasiliy; born 17 February 1988) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes f ...

tko'd Jorge Linares in the 10th round to win the WBA Lightweight title, and become the fastest man in history to become a three division champion, on May 12, 2018. * Poliana Botelho knocked

Syuri Kondo is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...

down with a left kick to the liver at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman, May 2018. * Ben Saunders knocked Jake Ellenberger down with a short knee to the liver at UFC Fight Night 131: Rivera vs. Moraes, June 2018. *

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

knocked Jeremy Stephens down with a left punch to the liver at UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2, July 2018. *

defeated Rocky Fielding by TKO after repeatedly downing Fielding with liver shots, December 2018. *

Michal Oleksiejczuk Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, ...

knocked Gian Villante out with a left punch to the liver at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos, February 2019. *

Stipe Miocic Stipe Miocic (born August 19, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Miocic i ...

used repeated liver shots in the 4th round of his second fight against Daniel Cormier. The liver shots weakened Cormier and allowed Miocic to setup the final flurry of punches which resulted in a TKO and Miocic regaining the Heavyweight title at UFC 241, August 2019. * Luke Campbell was knocked down in the 7th round by Ryan Garcia by a left punch to the liver in January 2021. * Naoya Inoue scored three knockdowns in the span of three rounds, each one with a left hook to the liver of Michael Dasmariñas, to win via third-round stoppage, June 19, 2021. * Usman Nurmagomedov finished Manny Muro at Bellator 263, scoring a TKO, on July 30, 2021. *

Brandon Moreno Brandon Carrillo Moreno (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Flyweight Champion, and the c ...

used a liver kick to put down

Kai Kara-France James Kaiwhare Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC flyweight ...

which led to a TKO at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweigh ...

, July 30, 2022. * Irene Aldana finished Macy Chiasson with a liver kick from the bottom scoring a TKO at

UFC 279 ''UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

on September 10, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liver Shot Terminology used in multiple sports Boxing terminology Kickboxing terminology Martial arts terminology Strikes (martial arts)