UFC Beginner's Guide, Part I

I have been asked numerous times by friends unfamiliar with the UFC landscape to introduce them to the sport so they can join in on the fun. For me there as never too much UFC talk, so I happily inform them of the ins and outs.

The reason they come to me is because is that I am the resident "UFC nerd" for my circle of friends. Need to know what fights are coming up? Ask Derek. How long ago did fighter X fight? Ask Derek. What is that fighters history? Ask Derek. It has become so frequent that I fully expect questions on fight night.

When introducing new fans to UFC (or mixed martial arts, as it is known to more in-tune individuals) these are the questions that pop up most frequently.

How Do You Win?

This is a pretty simple answer. There are four ways to win in the UFC. The easiest way to win (on paper anyway) is to knock out your opponent. This may involve a pinpoint punch to the chin that turns a fighter's lights completely out, or it may be deemed a "technical knockout" when a fighter stops intelligently defending themselves. This is solely at the referee's discretion. A technical knockout can also be called in the case of a serious injury, such as a broken leg or excessive bleeding.

The second way to win is by submission. Submissions occur when a fighter traps his opponent in a hold designed to apply pressure while not sustaining long term injury, in most cases anyway. When a fighter wants to submit, they will tap their opponents body, or "tap out," in a manner that the referee can see and the hold will be released and the fight ended.

The third way is by a decision. Decisions are by far the most complicated way to win, as the scoring system is complex and a clear cut winner is often debatable, but more on how to score a decision later. A decision occurs when the fight's time limit expires. The time limit is either three 5-minute rounds with a one-minute rest between rounds for non-title fighters or five 5-minute rounds for a title fight.

Each round is scored using the "ten-point must" system. Under this system, the winner of a round is automatically awarded 10 points, with his opponent receiving 9 or fewer. In most cases rounds will be scored as 10 to 9, except in cases where one fighter holds a significant advantage over the other. Even then, fights are rarely scored with lower than 8 points going to the loser.

The final way to win, and easily the least satisfying, is by disqualification. The UFC has a wide array of illegal blows, despite what some politicians may have you believe, including eye gouging, groin shots, small joint manipulation (i.e. fingers and toes) and knees to a grounded opponent.

What is the criteria for winning a decision?

A decision is judged by three ring-side judges. These judges carefully watch the fight and base their decision on effective striking, effective grappling, aggression and "octagon control." The first three categories are straight forward, but octagon control often causes confusion. Octagon control means which fighter dictated the pace of the fight and where it took place. If one fighter can take the other down to the ground at will, then they are dictating where the fight will take place. Conversely, if an opponent constantly tries for a take down and is constantly denied by his opponent's skills, octagon control would be in favor of the opponent.

This causes some confusion as most fighters after fighting off a take down will end up pinned against the wall of the cage in what is known as a "clinch." Clinching is a common type of octagon control, as a fighter that is pinned against the cage has considerably less leverage to effectively strike or grapple.

Why are they just laying on each other?

Mixed martial arts is a sport of many different disciplines. Some are flashy, like Muay Thai and kickboxing, which lead to exciting knockouts. Others, such as wrestling and jiu-jitsu, are not always as easy on the eyes. A wrestler's main weapon is his ability to take down his opponent and dictate the positioning of the fight, while normally possessing considerable strength as well.

In some cases this means a quick end to the fight as the wrestler finds a dominant position and uses his superior strength to knock his opponent out. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, on the other hand, is a discipline that teaches fighting from the back, relying on submission holds to subdue an opponent. When a wrestler faces a jiu-jitsu expert, it often leads to stalemates as the wrestler gains a dominant position but is unable to get enough leverage to deal significant damage to their opponent. Also, to the untrained eye it may look like there is nothing going on, when both fighters are actually engaged in several subtle maneuvers that more experience spectators will appreciate.

How much do fighters make?

This varies from fighter to fighter, but in the UFC all fighters are generally pretty well paid. Most fighters will fight two to three times a year with a guaranteed amount paid simply for taking part in those fights. For a fighter that fought three times in one year at the UFC low-end of about $8,000 guaranteed a fight, that fighter would make $24,000.

That is far from the whole picture, however, as a fighter that wins their fight will typically double their earnings for that fight. To put that into numbers, a fighter that wins three UFC fights in a year at the low end will typically make about $16,000 a fight, or $48,000 for the whole year.

Again, that is not the complete picture. Most fighters make the majority of their income on sponsorships. This varies greatly from fighter to fighter, and is not officially disclosed so no official numbers exist. In most cases, a fighters money from sponsors will be at least a match of their standard show/win money.

Another way fighters are paid is through pay-per-view percentages. This only applies to those fighters who are higher up the card, typically reserved for the main event fighters. These percentages are usually complex in their workings, but lead to millions of dollars for a fighter lucky enough to have this deal in their contract.

Finally, the UFC offers bonus money for having the most exciting fight of the night, the best knockout of the night and the submission of the night. The amount of these bonuses varies from event to event, but are generally in the region of $65,000. Some fighters, notably Chris Lytle, have built up such a reputation as an exciting fighter that they will usually make the bulk of their earnings through these "of the night" bonuses.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the questions I regularly get asked by people wishing to learn more about mixed martial arts. There are many more as well, with enough to fill page upon page of reading. For now, this will serve as enough to get most people going and enjoyable the UFC.

Sources

UFC fighter pay is disclosed by several state athletic commissions shortly after an event is held.

The official rules of the UFC can be seen on UFC.com.