Ufc Championship Fight Round Length
As a new UFC fan, or even as a casual viewer, it is important to know the nuances of a UFC fight. And one of the most important aspects of any combat sport is the number of rounds involved. So in this post, I’m going to cover the following: How many rounds are there in UFC fights?
There are either 3 or 5 rounds in a UFC fight. Normal bouts are 3 rounds in length, while championship and main event fights are scheduled for 5 rounds. Each round is five minutes long, with a one-minute rest period between each round.
2 days ago LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 06: (R-L) Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on.
- 2 days ago Watch UFC 259 full fight video highlights: Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson last night (Sat., Mar. 6, 2021) live on ESPN+ PPV from Las Vegas, featuring the first-round.
- Both Usman and Burns are coming into this fight on hot streaks. Usman has actually won 15 straight fights dating back to 2015 and he’s a perfect 12-0 in the UFC. As for Burns, he’s currently riding a six-fight.
In the rest of this post, I’ll go more in-depth on how the round system works, as well as exceptions to the rules stated above.
When Are Fights 5 Rounds Instead Of 3?
As mentioned, MMA fights can only either last 3 or 5 rounds. 5-round fights are reserved for championship fights and main event fights. A typical UFC with no special circumstances surrounding it will always be three rounds.
Championship fights are self-explanatory. If there’s a belt on the line, then the fight goes five rounds. But what is considered a main event fight?
Basically, the last fight of the night on any fight card is considered the main event. This goes for any type of UFC event, whether it’s a pay-per-view or a free fight on cable tv. The last fight will go five rounds.
Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule.
As far as championship fights go, special circumstances can cause the fight to be three rounds. The most famous example is probably the match between then Light Heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, when he faced Anderson Silva at UFC 200.
Championship Fights At 3 Rounds
Cormier was originally scheduled to defend his title against interim-champ Jon Jones, in a highly-anticipated rematch between the two. Unfortunately, Jones tested positive for a banned substance the week of the fight, meaning he was unable to compete.
It was soon after announced that former middleweight champion Anderson Silva would step in to replace Jones. However, Silva had one stipulation. Because he would be moving up a weight class, and the fight would be on two-days notice, Silva would only fight if the bout was scheduled for three rounds.
According to ESPN: “Anderson is giving Daniel the opportunity to fight, to make money and to perform on UFC 200,” White said. “So if Anderson wants three rounds, if Anderson wants two rounds, he’ll get it.”
Thus, Light-Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier fought Silva in a Light-Heavyweight bout that lasted three rounds, and that was not considered a defense of his title.
Ufc Rounds And Time
Main Event Fights At Three Rounds
As stated, main events are usually scheduled for five rounds. However, there are exceptions that can shorten the main event to a three-rounder.
These exceptions are often similar to the example of Cormier vs Silva given previously, where some unexpected change happens on short notice.
Typically what happens is that the main event of a fight card will be cancelled for whatever reason, forcing the UFC to put another fight as the main event.
However, fighters train differently for three-round fights than they do for five-round fights. So it would be unfair for the new main event fighters to compete for five rounds when they weren’t prepared for it.
A recent example of this occurred at UFC Moscow in 2019. The main event was to be a heavyweight fight between Alexander Volkov and Junior Dos Santos.
Ufc Full Fights
However, Dos Santos pulled out of the fight citing an infection as the issue, about two weeks before the fight.
The co-main event was a featherweight bout between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar. However, this was a three-round fight.
With the main event still in question, the UFC decided to move this fight to the main event spot, while keeping it for three rounds, as the fighters would not be prepared for a five-rounder.
Conclusion
In short, UFC fights last either three rounds for a normal bout, or five rounds for championship fights and main events. Every round is five minutes long, with a one-minute rest period between every round.
If you enjoyed this post, consider checking out similar posts on the Martial Arts History page. Thanks for reading!
Petr Yan committed a terrible mistake in his fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 that cost him the UFC title.
In the fourth round , Yan, who appeared to be winning the fight up that point, hit Sterling with an illegal knee while Sterling was still on the ground.
Ufc Championship Full Fights
— dana white (@clips2021) March 7, 2021
Update: According to Khabib Nurmagomedov Yan’s coaches gave him the go ahead to throw the knee while Sterling was still on the ground.
Khabib (to DC) says Yan was given the call to throw the kick in the moment from the coaches.
A bad understanding of the rules on all parties.
Fact remains, intentional foul. #UFC259
— Gabriel Gonzalez (@DoubleGonTV) March 7, 2021
The fight was called by the doctor inside the cage because Sterling couldn’t continue.
The doctor has called off the fight after speaking to Aljamain Sterling, who was struck with an illegal knee by Petr Yan at #UFC259pic.twitter.com/oRLduQfraV
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 7, 2021
Yan was disqualified due to the knee and Sterling was presented the UFC championship belt.
Due an illegal knee, Aljamain Sterling has won the UFC bantamweight championship at #UFC259 via disqualification, pic.twitter.com/zhxXngzMMA
— ESPN (@espn) March 7, 2021
Update: Yan was ahead on the scorecards before the illegal knee.
Yan was ahead 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 going into the fourth round. #UFC259
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) March 7, 2021
Sterling went on to release a statement after the fight.
Not the way I ever want to win a fight. It was close, competitive and filled with action. I felt the knee was intentional, especially after the ref announced I was a downed opponent, so I didn’t expect to be hit.
Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!#UFC259
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 7, 2021
Yan apologized for the illegal knee on Twitter.
I apologize and wish speedy recovery to @funkmasterMMA I didn’t mean to throw an illegal strike, I just made a big mistake and paid for it.
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 7, 2021