Taiwan’s first Dirty Boxing bout on mixed-format card

Local promotion introduces experimental combat format alongside traditional MMA bouts at the Taipei Gymnasium

• By Joshua Dent / Contributing reporter

Enter the Dragon 13 will bring Taiwan’s first taste of Dirty Boxing Sunday at Taipei Gymnasium, one highlight of a mixed-rules card blending new formats with traditional MMA.

The undercard starts at 10:30am, with the main card beginning at 4pm. Tickets are NT$1,200.

Dirty Boxing is a US-born ruleset popularized by fighters Mike Perry and Jon Jones as an alternative to boxing. The format has gained traction overseas, with its inaugural championship streamed free to millions on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Taiwan’s version allows punches and elbows with clinch striking, but bans kicks, knees and takedowns. The rules are stricter than the American version, where standing ground strikes are also legal.

Event matchmaker Kemp Cheng (鄭宇哲) said the decision to stage Dirty Boxing was part of a broader plan to diversify the offerings of Way of the Dragon (WOTD), a promoter sanctioned by the Chinese Taipei Mixed Martial Arts Association. He previously considered working with another promotion but disagreed with its use of boxing gloves.

Cheng said Dirty Boxing is suited to athletes with backgrounds in Sanda and traditional Chinese martial arts. Fans may see techniques drawn from boxing, Muay Thai and other striking disciplines.

Photo courtesy of Combat Sports Arts

He organized the bout himself with MMA gloves and hand wraps. This, he said, “keeps the intensity of combat while ensuring safety.”

Cheng added that the Enter the Dragon series remains WOTD’s flagship event, giving local and regional fighters large-venue opportunities. Dirty Boxing, he said, is intended as a long-term project rather than a one-off spectacle.

The main event will be held under professional MMA rules, contrasting with the Dirty Boxing debut.

The ETD 13 card will also feature Beta MMA, which serves as the amateur format. Matches consist of three, three-minute rounds with no elbows, limited knees and the use of six-ounce gloves. Another format, Cage Striking, stages kickboxing inside a cage with three rounds of two and a half minutes each. Fighters are allowed to use punches, kicks and knees, with one clinch knee permitted, but elbows and takedowns remain prohibited.

In 2018, ETD 2 featured Jun Yong Park against Glenn Sparv. Park went on to compete as a UFC middleweight, underscoring the promotion’s ability to host fighters who later reach international stages.

Cheng confirmed the card’s headliner: Kevin Yu (尤凱文) vs Chiang Chieh-yu (蔣捷宇), a matchup he described as a “dream fight” between two of Taiwan’s toughest fighters.

“Nobody expected this fight to actually happen, so anticipation is enormous,” he said. “Everyone wants to know who will be crowned the strongest man in Taiwan.”