Can fighting in your underwear psyche out your opponent, or will you end up facing a very ‘brief’ career?

The UFC is known for delivering its fair share of pain; just look at the main card of UFC 133. Rory McDonald was the first to dish out the hurt with a first-round TKO over Mike Pyle. Then Vitor Belfort followed suit and exploded with his trademark onslaught of lightening-speed punches, smashing Yoshihiro Akiyama into the canvas.

Finally, there came the pièce de résistance as Rashad Evans sent a crushing blow with the knee to Tito Ortiz’ chest, followed up with a series of strikes to his head until the fight was no more. 

But, remarkably, it wasn’t Pyle, Akiyama or Ortiz who experienced the most pain that night – it was the Philadelphia fans as Dennis Hallman walked out in the most horrific blue ‘budgie smugglers’ known to man.

His opponent, Brian Ebersole, is known for his eccentric behavior, shaving an arrow pointing at his chin into his chest hair before his UFC bouts. Although Hallman claimed he donned the underpants as a bet, many fans believed he wanted to upstage Ebersole and perhaps break his concentration with the daunting prospect of being pinned in the north-south position with Hallman’s ball bag resting upon his chin – sure enough to make any red-blooded warrior crumble. 

Fortunately for Ebersole, he manned up, ignored the bulge barrage and TKO’d Hallman with elbows late in the first round.

Not only were the fans relieved, but even Dana White reached deep into his pockets and rewarded Ebersole a $70,000 ‘get those horrifying shorts of TV as soon as possible’ bonus.

Yet Hallman’s efforts weren’t the first. There’s actually a history of dodgy pants cropping up in MMA.

For the hardcores who were glued to their TVs during the early days of the UFC when Tank Abbott still brawled and Vitor Belfort’s voice had only just broken, weird and wonderful underwear was commonplace. Old-hand grappler Dan Severn would constantly throw down with his legendary moustache/pro wrestling-trunks combo, and – although his were nearly as revealing as Hallman’s – no one would bat an eyelid. 

Come a little closer to the present day and you’d find UFC veteran Shonie Carter rocking his pimped-out trunks that were so ‘90s technicolor they belonged in the cast wardrobe for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Complete in gold, chrome or psychedelic, ‘Mr International’s pants were much more well-received than Hallman’s (perhaps due to his overall ‘bling’ persona) and ultimately proved a good move. 

Cross the Pacific to the Orient and you’ve got Shinya Aoki sporting his finest multicolored grappling spats (aka leggings for men or “meggings”). The fighting tights had so much of an impact, the country saw a rise of 20 to 30-year-old Japanese men wearing them casually, with 62 out of the 100 women interviewed thinking they looked good on guys.

Of course, the original purpose of fighting spats is to prevent skin infections, but if grappling master Aoki can make them cool then there may just be a place in MMA for them.

So if you are considering psyching your opponent out with some ‘tighty whities,’ be aware that it’s a risky maneuver. While it’s worked for some in the past, and in some cases even gaining them a fan base, it could easily backfire. Fighting in pants may expose your opponent’s lack of concentration, yet should they put a beatdown on your ass it’ll be you who’s the one left exposed – in more ways than one.

The ‘Eat My Shorts’ Ten Commandments

Guide to wearing underwear in the Octagon:

• Be prepared to be ridiculed.
• Make sure you have the balls to back up your actions afterwards.
• Develop a funny character first, otherwise people are just going to think you’ve lost it.
• Reveal them only until after you’ve walked to the ring (they may get swiped or you may get hit).
• Don’t wear them on your first fight.
• Ensure they’re tight so nothing slips.
• Ensure they’re not too tight so those at ringside can define your meat and two veg.
• Choose the right material (latex makes you sweat and is likely to creep out the crowd).
• To cool down the crowd’s reaction, wear your national flag printed on them (unless you’re fighting abroad and have a death wish).
• If you’re gonna wear them, you better try your hardest not to lose (a winner in pants = funny, a loser in pants = idiot).