Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen drove the idea of a control change after a slam ko on UFC Vegas 109.
Toshiomi Kazama fell on 1-3 in the Octagon after he went for a triangle stitched on Saturday about the prospect of Bantamweight Elia Smith.
Smith, the 22-year-old son of former UFC hunter Gilbert Smith, grabbed and hit Kazama on his head for a brutal knockout and then went out two more punches on his already unconscious opponent.
Kazama was out for a few minutes and finally stepped on his stool after the interview started after the fight. He was later admitted to the hospital and his CT scans came back negatively.
After the knockout, the MMA world talked about whether or not Slams should be allowed, because strikes on the back of the head are illegal.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Daniel Cormier Addresses If Slams must be banned from UFC
Former title finer Sonnen said that Slams are illegal in Jiu-Jitsu matches in California because the action of a head hits a canvas is ruled.
Former UFC Double champion Cormier says that he would not be angry if the UFC banned Slams after last weekend.
“There are few rules that you have to follow, right?” Cormier said on a good guy / bad guy.
“One is that you can't hit him. You put it behind the head, that's the biggest no-no. But if you hit him, what touches first, Chael? The back of the head.
“So there is a reason why we don't get behind the back of the head. So if I am honest, I don't know that I would be against that, especially that way,” Cormier continued.
“It was like the Undertaker, Kevin Nash, Big Daddy Cool, Diesel, the Razor's Edge. It was every finishing movement that you have ever seen, everything in one. So while closing the person on their heads is legal, I would probably say that I would not be too angry if they wound it away.
“The impact on the back of the head is crazy. In most cases it will be the story of the night,” Cormier said about Slam Knockouts such as those of Elia Smith.
How Elia Smith felt after the closing of Toshiomi Kazama for Ko
Smith shouted and said: “I said to you” after switching off Kazama at the UFC Apex.
After the fight, Smith showed sympathy for Kazama, who was 'happy to live'.
“I was so hype and so. And [then] I had something like that, damn it, he has not moved for a second. Maybe I should calm down, “said Smith on the Ariel Helwani show.
“Even Dylan, my corner man, he tried to calm me down because he was still down. I was something like that, yes, you are right. Let him give his time and space his time and space. [Like] This definitely starts to come.
Elia Smith was happy to hear that Toshiomi Kazama went to five boys for a hamburger after the ko:
“I am glad I saw that, because when I came back to the hotel room … I started to feel a bit bad.
I had something like that, damn it … Sometimes I scares myself, man … I told everyone I try … pic.twitter.com/ep49xk697q
– Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) 11 August 2025
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“But once I saw that he breathed and he was up, I was something like that, okay, now I can go back to having a good time.
“I'm glad I saw that,” Smith said about the photo of Kazama who eat in a restaurant with five boys.
“When I came back to the hotel room, I thought to myself, I started to feel a bit bad. I was something like that, damn, that was crazy. Sometimes I scared myself, man. Some things I do in the cage, but it's just a part of my work. And I told everyone that I am trying to get that 50k bonus, and I have it …”