On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s Taliban government made the move to ban mixed martial arts in the country. The morality police in the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice found that the sport was problematic and contradictory to the teachings of Islam.

While this ruling should not come as a surprise to Afghan citizens, as MMA has been under severe pressure since the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of troops by the United States and NATO. In fact, competitions have been outlawed in the country since 2021, when legislation was introduced prohibiting “face-punching.”

Outsiders are left scratching their heads as they mostly know the Taliban from suicide bombings, assassinations, and grainy YouTube beheadings. So their opposition to blood sport is a bit confusing, albeit mostly a formality, as most fighters have long since left the region.