How Many Rounds Are In Mma
The number of rounds in MMA fights may not be the same for every MMA promotion throughout the world. However the U.S. based MMA organizations such as UFC, Bellator, including oversea MMA promotion ONE Championship all follow what is called, “UNIFIED RULES OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.” These unified rules were established to set framework for universal MMA rules in MMA fights.
If it's a five-round fight, you will typically see the betting line set with an over/under total of 4.5 rounds. For main event fights, of course, there tend to be several more options for how many rounds the fight will or will not go, and the payouts generally vary quite a bit depending on the outcomes that you pick.
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. The Bellator light heavyweight and former UFC middleweight title challenger made his decision in the cage after his second-round TKO loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222. After the result was. Number of rounds per bout and round duration. The following acts constitute fouls in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts and may result in penalties, at the discretion of the.
These unified rules are supposed to be adopted by every state athletic commision in the United States which regulates Mixed Martial Arts fights(MMA). These rules were created to protect the safety of the fighters. As a result these rules set the number of rounds for every sanctioned MMA fight and the duration of each round as you will in the below.
What Does Unified Rules of MMA Say About Fight Rounds?
According to the Unified Rules of MMA, the following is the universal rule for how many rounds in MMA fights.
Each round shall consist of a five (5) minute duration (professional), with a one (1) minute rest period between rounds.
a. No contests shall exceed five (5) rounds and/or twenty-five (25) minutes.
b. Bouts may consist of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4), or five (5) rounds, with a five (5) minute duration.
c. No contestant shall exceed competing more than five (5) rounds and/or twentyfive (25) minutes of fighting in a twenty-four (24) hour period.
Source: “UNIFIED RULES OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.How Many Rounds Are There in MMA Fights?
Different MMA organizations may have different rounds. It is the sole discretion of each MMA promotion to decide whether to have three rounds of fight or five rounds of fight. UFC, for example, decided to have 5 rounds of fight for main event fights regardless of whether it’s a title fight or not.
The following table shows the number of rounds for the most popular MMA promotions in the world and compare them.
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.
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.
How Long Are Mma 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.
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 Are In Mma
If you enjoyed this post, consider checking out similar posts on the Martial Arts History page. Thanks for reading!