Glossary: Dirty Boxing

Dirty boxing (in boxing) consists of using techniques that are illegal in boxing against your opponent, including: elbow/forearm strikes, headbutts, holding the back of the head, stepping on feet and groin strikes. Generally, the offender will begin by holding their opponent's head so as to remove many of their defensive options and to "wrestle" them such that the referee will not see the illegal strikes.

Typically, dirty boxing for mixed martial arts generally sees one fighter establish a collar tie clinch and then throwing uppercuts with their other hand. Since "standard" dirty boxing techniques are generally not illegal in MMA, clinches can continue for some time (see Couture/Belfort or Frye/Takayama).

Randy Couture and Jens Pulver are considered to be the two foremost practitioners of dirty boxing in MMA.