How Many Rounds Mma Fights

  

Bellator MMA recently announced an 8-man tournament for its light heavyweight division, which features a number of ex-UFC fighters.The card, starting on April 9th, is stacked with 6 former UFC.

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.

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.

We revisit this potential problem on fight night in the fighter’s corner between rounds. The fighter’s Muay Thai coach calls for body kicks against a wrestler who is potentially looking for a takedown that would change the fight. There is only time for roughly 30 seconds of instruction in between rounds of a fight, so the info needs to be. “I Will Knock You Out Within 5 Rounds Boxing or MMA”: Dillon Danis and Ryan Garcia Agreed To Fight Each Other During an Instagram Live Prateek Arya.

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.

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.

How

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.

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.

How Many Rounds Mma Fights 2019

If you enjoyed this post, consider checking out similar posts on the Martial Arts History page. Thanks for reading!

An MMA fight is scored by three judges. Rounds are judged in their entirety with the winner of each round being awarded 10 points and the loser being awarded 9 or less. If a round is a draw, both fighters will receive 10 points. The winner of the round is determined by the fighters Cage Control, Technique, and Aggressiveness. If no finishes (such as submissions and knockouts) occur before the time runs out of the last round the judges will add up the scores given to both fighters and each judge will declare who they deem to be the winner. If the judges disagree on the winner then the fighter with the majority of judges behind him will win by split decision. If all three judges are in agreement then the fighter will win by unanimous decision.

How is an MMA Fight scored and How Can I Take Advantage of this?

Effective Cage Control

Controlling the pace

One major part of earning points in the effective cage control portion of the scoring is controlling the pace. This means making the other fighter match your pace. Some fighters like to have a very high pace fight that is very intense. Many other fighters prefer to have a slow pace. They fight methodically and carefully.

Getting your opponent to fight your pace is huge in winning the mental game in MMA. When you are in control mentally the opponent begins to react to you. Putting your opponent into your comfort zone can be a huge advantage. This is why this is score so highly in MMA.

Not having back against the cage

If you are constantly pushed back against the cage you will lose points in the cage control portion. If you are using the cage to your advantage by putting your opponent against the fence or in a corner however, you will gain points.

Effective cage control is difficult to explain but much easier to see. You can tell who is owning their space and who is not. This dynamic can switch between fighters during a fight. Keeping in good position and using the cage to help you will keep the ball in your court.

Self-Awareness

Many fighters struggle being self-aware in a fight. Fighters back themselves into a cage (because they did not realize they were so close to it) or stay away from their corner when they are not self-aware in the fight. This is very difficult to master but is a huge advantage when you can become self-aware. When you are aware of your surroundings it is easier to use it to your advantage.

Knowing where the cage is helps you know when to move forward or backwards and when to circle. Being in control of the fight and of the cage can only really be done if you are also being aggressive and using effective technique.

This is why the rounds are not scored by points from individual moves. Each round is taken as a whole and a winner is assigned based on this criteria.

Effective Technique (striking, grappling)

Takedowns

Takedowns are huge in MMA. They do not mean a whole lot if the opponent stands up immediately however. But takedowns are huge because it takes technique and aggressiveness. It also puts you in control of the fight.

Being able to take an opponent down means that you are in control of what is happening. The same is true if you can defend takedowns. Some fighters prefer to fight on the ground while others prefer to fight standing up. Both of these strategies can be great. Being able to stick to the position you want while your opponent wants the opposite is huge in the fight and especially in the eyes of the judges.

This applies to submissions and strikes as well. If your opponent wants to do something and you do not let him you will gain points. Also, if your opponent does not want to do something and you can do it you will also gain points.

Control

Control is huge in MMA. Not only the control of whether to be on the ground or on the feet, but also the effective control in those positions. If you get a take down that is awesome. If you get reversed however, that is not so awesome.

On the ground you need to be able to be in control. Sometimes in Jiu-Jitsu you can be winning and be on the bottom. This is only true in MMA if you get a submission. In MMA if you are on top you are winning and you are in control even if your opponent is doing all of the work.

Also being in control of the striking game can be equally important. If your opponent is throwing more strikes than you but all of yours seem to connect you will be in control. This also includes getting under hooks and putting your opponents back to the cage.

Any knockdowns or effective strikes will also obviously be counted in your favor in the technique department.

Skill

Anything that works will be worth points in the judge’s eyes. Actually, using good technique will impress the judges even more. Slick takedowns, striking combinations, sweeps, escapes, and submission attempts will all frame you as the winner.

Effective Aggressiveness

Moving forward

We have all seen fights where someone is constantly backing up and not engaging. Even if he is a good defensive fighter and lands a few strikes he will not gain much in the eyes of the judges. The Judges (and the fans) want to see action and aggression.

Stalling

There are plenty of ways to stall in MMA. They are all equally obvious and frowned upon by the judges and the fans. Fighters who are stalling will back away a lot of continue to circle. Another obvious way that fighters stall is continuously throwing fake strikes but never actually engaging. Fake strikes are great if they are used as set ups but they will count against you if you do not use them to advance your position in the fight.

Fighters also will hold someone in a clinch or on the ground to rest or let the time run out. Be careful if you are stalling on the ground to at least pretend like you are working for a submission or trying to throw strikes otherwise you will get docked points quickly.

Fighters that stall and are boring are actually much more likely to get cut from companies rosters as soon as they start losing fights. A fighter that is exciting, however, will be kept around a company longer even if he/she has a worse record because he/she make very exciting fights that people will pay to see.

Advancing position

Advancing position is the opposite of stalling. Advancing position in striking is mixing it up and going for the finish. You can also advance position by getting a takedown, passing guard, getting to the mount position or attempting submissions. Just constantly working to get yourself into a better position will win you the fight as long as you do not get knocked out or submitted.

Scoring/ Rounds/ Title Fights

Amateur Fights

Normal amateur fights are three rounds that are three minutes each with one-minute break times between rounds. Amateur title fights will be five three-minute rounds. If a fight goes to decision the points from each round will be added up and compared.

In a normal amateur fight, a fighter could earn a maximum of 30 points assuming they won all three rounds. This would be 50 points if they won all five rounds in a title fight.

What Ufc Fights Are 5 Rounds

If all three judges have the same fighter scored as the winner, he will win by unanimous decision (even if the judges have awarded differing amounts of points to the fighters. If two judges pick fighter A as the winner and one judge picks fighter B, then fighter A will win by split decision.

How Many Rounds In Ufc Fights

Professional Fights

Professional fights are run and judged almost the same as the amateur fights. The two do have slightly different rules. One example of this is the time limit. Normal professional fights are three 5-minute rounds. Professional title fights are five 5-minute rounds.

Other rule changes between amateur and professional fights are the use of elbows and the ability to throw knees to the face. There are a few other rules, many of which depending on the state.

How Many Rounds Mma Fights

Conclusion

How Many Rounds Mma Fights Against

I have seen so many fighters lose fights that they could have won by not understanding how these fights are scored. I have seen fighters who were on the bottom with their opponent in their guard for three rounds who thought they were in control surprised when they were declared the loser by unanimous decision. I have seen fighters land some big moves in a round and then slack off thinking that was enough to win them the round. Continue to educate yourself and perform for the judges and for the crowd. First we are fighters but second, we are showman.