A rabbit punch is a
blow
Blow commonly refers to:
*Cocaine
*Exhalation
* Strike (attack)
Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to:
People
* Blew (surname)
* Blow (surname)
Arts and entertainment Music
*The Blow, an American electro-pop band
Albums
* ''Blow ...
to the back of the head or to the base of the
skull. It is considered especially dangerous because it can damage the
cervical vertebrae
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In ...
and subsequently the
spinal cord, which may lead to serious and irreparable
spinal cord injury. A rabbit punch can also detach the victim's
brain from the
brain stem, which can kill instantly.
Etymology
The punch's name is derived from the use of the technique by
hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
s to kill
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s with a quick, sharp
strike to the back of the head.
Combat sports
The rabbit punch is illegal in
boxing,
MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
, and other
combat sports that involve
striking
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
. The only exceptions are no-holds-barred events such as the
International Vale Tudo Championship (prior to rule changes in mid-2012).
On October 17, 2015,
Prichard Colón
Prichard Colón Meléndez (born September 19, 1992) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer, honorary WBC World Champion, and gold medal winner at the 2010 Panamerican Youth Championship in the category. After Prichard was dis ...
, a well known boxer, was struck on the back of the head multiple times by his opponent, Terrel Williams by using the rabbit punch. During the match, Colón experienced dizziness as a result of the illegal punches. After the match ended, Colón began to tremble from his legs and started to vomit. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with brain bleeding and underwent surgery. He was in a coma for 221 days (7 months, 1 week) until he was transferred to his mother's house. As a result of the injuries he sustained, Colón fell into a
persistent vegetative state where he no longer could move or talk. As of July 2021, 6 years after the fight, Colón is doing much better, making more progress and is getting treatment for his condition.
Amateur sports
On June 29, 2014,
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
referee
John Bieniewicz was punched in the neck by Baseel Abdul Amir Saad, an upset player in an amateur match he was officiating in
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 95,535 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which ranked it as Michigan's ninth most-populated municipality.
Livonia is a part ...
, a suburb of
Detroit. Bieniewicz died two days later of his injuries, and Saad was charged with
second-degree murder. Bieniewicz's
autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
showed that the force of the impact on the left side of his neck just below the base of his skull had resulted in a rare injury with twisted and torn
arteries around the base of his skull, knocking him out before he hit the ground. In 2015, Saad pled guilty to
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
and received a sentence of 8 to 15 years in prison.
See also
*
Donkey punch
References
Boxing terminology
Kickboxing terminology
Punches (combat)
Violence in sports
Banned sports tactics
Skull
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