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Travis Browne-style elbows are one of the most problematic weapons in MMA.
First, let’s define the strikes made famous by former UFC Heavyweight Travis Browne, who melted both Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett with these blows back in 2013 (video). These are the sideways elbows delivered rapid fire while in defense of a takedown, usually along the fence. The defending fighter gives up on actually defending the shot via wrestling, relies on the fence for a moment to stand, then unleashes hell on the side of their opponent’s head.
In theory and practice, it’s a bold gambit that can pay off hugely in the former of an instant knockout. A hard shot directly to the side of the head/around the ear can wreak havoc on an opponent’s equilibrium. Given that the fighter defending the takedown is already standing above the fighter shooting, that shooting athlete who lost his ability to drive forward is stuck there to receive more damage.
The result can be some truly vicious stoppages.
The problem is that they’re almost always hitting illegal areas. The back of the head is a tricky topic in MMA already, but generally, those elbows are considered legal if any part of the blow touches the ear. Given the chaotic and rapid manner in which these elbows are thrown, however, at least some of them will always connect just passed the ear or directly to the back of the head.
What happens next is up to the referee. More often than not — as is the case in the original Travis Browne KOs — the iffy targeting is overlooked. At least some of the blows landed were legal, and referees hate interfering with outcomes, so the knockout win stands. The defeated man has no option but to go backstage, take a shower, and feel over all the lumps on the back of his skull in areas theoretically protected by the officials.
Last night, we saw the messier option in Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage. Alhassan’s elbows sent Brundage limp pretty much immediately, but the wrestler woke back up. He rolled around and kept shooting, denying Alhassan the immediate knockout win. “Judo Thunder” continued firing elbows, but the position changed away from the fence, and things slowed down.
This is where Alhassan screwed up: Travis Browne elbows rely on chaos and quickness. They stop the fight in an instant before the location of the lands can really be considered too heavily. Alhassan tried to use them for too long, even after Brundage moved him into the open and blocked most of the legal striking area with his shoulder.
After already being warned, Alhassan threw more elbows at the available illegal area. The action was paused, and the ref was right on top of them. It was no longer in question. It was blatant.
What’s hilarious is that Alhassan’s clearly illegal, worst-case scenario usage of the Travis Browne elbows still resulted in a “No Contest” rather than disqualification! Clearly, there’s no actual risk to wailing away wildly in the general direction of an opponent’s brain stem. Best case, the opponent goes down in a heap, and worst case, the referee will probably opt for a “No Contest” rather than actually punish the foul.
Well, the actual worst case scenario is that rabbit punches can kill people, but MMA won’t worry about that little obstacle until it pops a tire.
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