How Long is a UFC Fight Night? | Easily Explained

by Martial Arts Insider

UFC cards can fluctuate in how long they last depending on what type of UFC event it is, and how many finishes are in a card.

In this page, we will explain how long a UFC Fight Night is on average, how long the prelim portion of the card takes, how long the main card takes, and what you can expect when watching a UFC Fight Night.

Table of Contents

How Long is a UFC Fight Night?

A UFC Fight Night from start to finish typically lasts around 6 hours.

A Fight Night consists of a preliminary card and a main card.

how long is a ufc fight night

In the January UFC Fight Night card of Calvin Kattar vs Giga Chikadze, the preliminary fights began at 5 pm and the last fight of the main card ended around 10:45 pm, a total of 6 hours.

How long the Fight Night lasts ultimately depends on how many fights there are , and whether fights end quickly, or if they go the distance.

If a scheduled 15 minute fight, does not last 15 minutes due to a fighter submitting or knocking out his opponent, the card will go by much faster.

As soon as a fight ends, the next fight begins shortly after.

For perspective, the Kattar vs Chikadze card had a total of 10 fights for the night.

How Many Preliminary Fights?

In Kattar vs Chikadze's Preliminary card, there were a total of 4 fights.

All 4 fights were won via decision, which means all 4 fights went as long as they possibly could.

The preliminary card lasted 2 hours in total.

3 Rounds x 5 Minutes = 15 Minutes.
1 Minute Break in Between Rounds x 3 Rounds = 3 minutes.

4 fights going the distance resulted in 72 minutes of official fight time. If any of those fights had resulted in a finish, it could have been a 1/4th as long.

How Many Main Card Fights?

In Kattar vs Chikadze's Main card, there were a total of 6 fights.

The main card lasted a total of 4 hours.

4 of those fights resulted in a decision, and one fight was stopped by submission in round 1, and another was stopped by TKO in round 1.

How Long Do UFC Fights Last?

UFC Fights can last 15 minutes to 25 minutes, but it can end much quicker if a fighter is able to finish their opponent.

Regular fights are made up of 3 rounds, and 5 minutes in each round (15 minutes).

Championship & Main Event fights are made up of 5 rounds, and 5 minutes in each round (25 minutes).

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