You might have noticed a familiar face in Joaquin Buckley’s corner at UFC Vegas 48. Instead of the usual corner entourage of various coaches and cutmen, he added internet celebrity Commander Dale Brown of Detroit Urban Survival Training. D.U.S.T., as his organization is otherwise known, isn’t exactly an MMA gym. It’s a “preventative threat management training system” designed for those out and about in dangerous urban areas like Detroit.
Many of Brown’s self-defense tips have earned him mockery, cynicism and a cavalcade of memes from the martial arts community, but Joaquin Buckley not only visited Brown’s gym, but as Brown told The MMA Hour, decided Buckley was legit enough to accompany him to the Octagon.
How Viral Sensation Commander Dale Brown Cornered Joaquin Buckley
“He came to my school — you can see the videos online — and he came to test the training. He did not come to hang out, he came to test it and there was no discussion other than, ‘Hey, I’m gonna come by and see if the training is real.’ So he did, came by, and felt that the training was real.
Halfway through, he said, ‘You know what, wow, I didn’t realize this training was real.’ Then after that, two weeks later — it wasn’t immediate — he called back and asked if I’d be willing to be a cornerman and share knowledge and bring what we have to the table to assist.
And I absolutely did.” What exactly does Dale Brown bring to the table for a professional fighter? Buckley conceded that the Commander’s inclusion in his corner was mostly for publicity, but is there method to this madness?
“Most of my training you can’t use, obviously, in the sport, but there’s some aspects of it, some techniques, some small things that we shared.
And there’s also psychology. A huge part of our performance is based on psychology. Survival psychology is really important in any endeavor. So he was able to get exposed to our survival psychology in that setting and I think that’s really helpful, especially in that fight he was just in.
It was extremely important psychologically to be prepared for that extreme fight he was in. It was extraordinary and he pulled through.”
Joaquin Buckley fought to a split decision win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in the end, so perhaps there’s more to Dale Brown than meets the eye. Do you think Commander Dale Brown should corner in the UFC again? Let us know in the comments.
