6 interesting things to know about Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

1. UFC is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) series in which a series of fights take place around the world (though it is mostly based in the USA).
2. MMA is a full-contact combat sport that allows striking and grappling, both standing and, on the ground,, using techniques from various combat sports and martial arts.
3. There is a ‘main’ UFC event each month which is numerically named (for example, December 2018’s main event was UFC 231 in Toronto), while smaller events are named Fight Nights and also listed numerically.
4. Each UFC event will have a ‘fight card’ (a list of the bouts to be held) which runs in reverse order of prestige, so that the most important fight (often a title bout) is held last – this is known as the ‘main event’.
5. All UFC fights are held in the Octagon – an eight-sided ring with walls made of fencing material, padding covering all the edges and corners, and measuring 30 feet (approximately 9.1 metres) across.
6. The UFC recognises the following weight classes (upper weight limit in parenthesis):
Strawweight (52.2 kg)
Flyweight (56.7 kg)
Bantamweight (61.2 kg)
Featherweight (65.8 kg)
Lightweight (70.3 kg)
Welterweight (77.1 kg)
Middleweight (83.9 kg)
Light Heavyweight (93 kg)
Heavyweight (120.2 kg)
Rules Of The Game
Bandages shall be evenly distributed across the hand and fighters must wear a mouthguard.
Male mixed martial artists shall wear a groin protector; female mixed martial artists shall wear a chest protector.
All contestants shall wear gloves which are at least 4 ounces and gloves should generally next exceed 6 ounces.
Each championship mixed martial arts contest is to be for 5 rounds, each round no more than 5 minutes duration, with a rest period of 1 minute between each round.
All bouts will be evaluated and scored by 3 judges who shall evaluate the contest from a different location around the ring/fighting area. The referee may not be one of the 3 judges.
Judges shall evaluate mixed martial arts techniques, such as effective striking, effective grappling, control of the ring/fighting area, effective aggressiveness and defence. Each round will be scored on a 10-point system.
There are 31 different types of foul moves – including spitting, hair pulling, kicking the head of a grounded opponent. The referee can disqualify a fighter if there are a series of fouls.
How Victory Is Achieved
Submission by: (1) Physical Tap Out (2) Verbal Tap Out
Knockout by: (1) when Referee stops the contest (TKO); (2) when an injury as a result of a legal manoeuvre is severe enough to terminate a bout (TKO); (3) when a contestant rendered unconscious due strikes or kicks (KO).
Decision via the scorecards, including: (1) Unanimous Decision – When all three judges score the contest for the same contestant; (2) Split Decision – When two judges score the contest for one contestant and one judge scores for the opponent; (3) Majority Decision – When two judges score the contest for the same contestant and one judge scores a draw.
Draws, including: (1) Unanimous Draw – When all three judges score the contest a draw; (2) Majority Draw – When two judges score the contest a draw; (3) Split Draw – When all three judges score differently.
Disqualification
Forfeit Technical Draw
Technical Decision
No Decision