UFC 109 Preview: Bloody Elbow MMA History Judo Chop: Randy Couture's Pioneering Dirty Boxing Game Destroys Vitor Belfort

Before this Saturday's Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman fight, I thought it would be fun to do a Historical Judo Chop commemorating the technique that is most associated with Randy Couture: Dirty Boxing.

What is dirty boxing? Well the Urban Dictionary has a surprisingly good definition:

Clinch fighting, possibly the most important aspect in the martial art of Muay Thai (also known as Thai Boxing). The attacker clinches his hands around his opponents' neck, and delivers punches (usually uppercuts), elbows, and knees to the face of the opponent while pulling his neck down. This is a very useful street fighting technique and is often seen in Muay Thai fights in Thailand and mixed martial arts competitions such as Pride Fighting Championship in Japan and Ultimate Fighting Championship in the USA.

Couture wasn't the first to bring effective dirty boxing to MMA. I would give that distinction to Don Frye who used very effective dirty boxing to beat Gary Goodridge in the finals of the classic UFC VIII tournament. But Couture is the fighter who became the most famous exponent of dirty boxing, beginning in his legendary upset win over Vitor "the Phenom" Belfort at UFC 15. 

As Sergio Non wrote about that fight:

Here's why people have a hard time betting against Randy Couture when he's a decided underdog on paper: He has a history of winning those fights, starting with this one.

Belfort had ripped through his four opponents in UFC, including David "Tank" Abbott. Couture had won the UFC 13 tournament, but the accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler — he was only doing MMA to make money while he chased his Olympic dream — didn't seem to be in the same class as the Brazilian labeled "The Phenom."

Their clash at UFC 15 followed the pattern that characterized Couture's fights for the rest of his career, as he used his Greco-Roman mastery to control a younger foe and chip away at him. Couture mauled Belfort standing in the clinch until the young Brazilian simply crumpled to the canvas and quit at the 8:17 mark.

Let's look at some gifs in the full entry.

Gifs by Chris Nelson.

In the gif on the right we see Couture establish an underhook with his left arm sunk deep in Belfort's right arm pit. He has his right hand on the back of Belfort's right arm. He uses the effective control that position establishes over Belfort to spin Belfort around and then crack him with a solid right uppercut. Note that Belfort fires back with a left hand.

The problem for Belfort, a fighter feared for his jackhammer combinations of fast straight punches, was that he was unable to connect with real KO power in these exchanges and Couture could almost always control their positioning and movement, allowing him to choose when to fire and when to stifle Belfort.

On the left we see Couture digging in and really beginning to open up on Belfort. That's the thing about winning wars of attrition, after a while you can really start to open up on your worn down opponent. Couture is alternating what wrestlers call a "collar tie" -- a hand on the back of Vitor's neck, controlling his head. Couture starts with his left arm behind Belfort's neck, as he fires three right uppercuts to Belfort's face.

Then he switches arms applying the collar tie and fires three hard lefts at Belfort's face. None of these punches are single shot KO's, but that's not the point. Dirty Boxing isn't about power, it's about control and getting and maintaining a position that allow you to inflict more damage on your opponent than you risk receiving in return.

Note also Randy's torn shorts, back in the day grabbing shorts wasn't illegal. Good thing he wore some briefs over his jock. Ah the golden age of MMA. Some things we don't miss.

For my dollar, Matt Lindland's book Dirty Boxing for MMA is by far the best instructional for learning the methods of control that allow for effective dirty boxing. From my review:

Matt Lindland's Dirty Boxing for Mixed Martial Arts details a complete MMA system for the standup game. Where Randy Couture's Wrestling for Fighting is a primer that outlines the basic techniques of getting and defending takedowns, Lindland's book provides a complete system. The closest comparison I've read would be Eddie Bravo's two books.

Like Bravo's books, this one provides the diligent student with a series of options from every key position. Lindland outlines the key standing control positions and shows how to transition back and forth between them so you can take advantage of your opponent's mistakes and avoid his strengths. The structure of the book is also logical and builds a strong foundation at the beginning that allows him to build a complex but sold system by the end.

Reading this book really reinforced by respect for wrestling as a martial art. It's as much built on skill, science and strategy as jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, Judo or boxing. Lindland's moves are fundamentally predicated on misdirection and deception. He shows how to bait your opponent into moving and then how to use that energy against him. In that, Lindland's approach to takedowns reminds me of nothing so much as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's approach to the sweep.

It's only once he's established the foundation and shown the reader how to use the techniques of Greco-Roman wrestling to thoroughly control your opponent's body that he elaborates on how to take advantage of that control with strikes, throws and submissions.

Here's Jens Pulver in an informative and also inadvertently hilarious training video about dirty boxing technique. The bad rock band that is featured is really special.