Body push kicks need real pushback, and side-kick catches need fixing

I know I have brought this issue up before, but after playing UFC 6 more, I feel like it needs to be reiterated because of how frustrating it has become.

All types of body push kicks need more pushback. I am talking about body teeps, lead and rear body push kicks, body side kicks, and spinning body side kicks.

Right now, these kicks create little to no distance. A lot of the time, the kick lands and your foot almost looks like it just rubs across the opponent’s stomach. There is no meaningful push animation, no separation, and almost no ability to use the kick as an actual distance-management tool.

That removes an entire layer from the striking.

A lot of UFC 6 matches feel like you either have to pressure the opponent constantly or, if they are pressuring you, sit there and focus almost entirely on counterstriking. There is not enough opportunity to intelligently manage an aggressive opponent by creating space with push kicks, resetting the range, and then working behind your jab or other long-range attacks.

That should be a legitimate fighting style.

If someone is pressuring me, I should be able to use a well-timed teep or side kick to push them back and regain space. The pressure fighter could still counter that by sidestepping, catching the kick, or timing their entry. That would create an actual strategic exchange between pressure and distance management.

Instead, that element feels almost completely absent because the body push kicks barely move the opponent. You can land one cleanly, and the other fighter is still standing directly in front of you as if nothing happened.

What makes it even stranger is that UFC 5 had what I would consider a healthy amount of pushback on these kicks. They were not unstoppable, but they actually served their intended purpose. Going from that to UFC 6, where some push kicks create almost zero separation, feels like a major step backward.

UFC 6 also made lead and rear body side kicks catchable in the same way as teeps. In UFC 5, you could block a body side kick with the low guard, but you could not catch it. That gave side kicks their own purpose. Teeps generally offered more damage, but side kicks could create distance without carrying the same risk of being caught. Now that both can be caught, the side kick feels like another version of the teep, except there is far less reason to use it. The two techniques have lost some of the distinction that previously made each one useful.

These kicks do not need to launch opponents across the cage or become overpowered. They simply need enough consistent pushback to function as real distance-management tools.

Pressure fighting should be effective, but players should also have realistic tools to manage pressure. Body teeps and body side kicks are supposed to be some of the most important tools for doing exactly that.

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