New to MMA? Here is everything you need to know to start watching UFC like a lifelong fan.
Weight classes (men's):
- Flyweight: 125 lbs
- Bantamweight: 135 lbs
- Featherweight: 145 lbs
- Lightweight: 155 lbs (most competitive division)
- Welterweight: 170 lbs
- Middleweight: 185 lbs
- Light Heavyweight: 205 lbs
- Heavyweight: 265 lbs
How to win:
- Knockout / TKO — Strikes that render opponent unable to continue
- Submission — Joint lock or choke that forces a tap
- Decision — Judges score each round 10-9 (or 10-8 for dominant rounds)
Scoring basics: Effective striking > effective grappling > cage control > aggression. Source: Unified Rules of MMA (ABC).
Event types:
- PPV (Pay-Per-View): Big cards, usually Saturday nights. $80 on ESPN+.
- Fight Night: Free on ESPN/ESPN+. Saturdays or occasional weeknight cards.
- Numbered events (UFC 300, 310, etc.): Always PPV. The biggest stars headline these.
How to follow:
- ESPN+ app for live events
- UFC Fight Pass for library of past fights
- Follow Ariel Helwani (The MMA Hour podcast) for news
- r/MMA on Reddit for discussion (largest MMA community online)
- MMA Junkie and MMA Fighting for daily news
Five fights to watch to get hooked:
- Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2 (UFC 189)
- Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (UFC 248)
- Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler (UFC 268)
- Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236)
- Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar (UFC Fight Island 7)
Sources:
- UFC.com — official rules and weight classes
- ABC MMA Unified Rules
- ESPN+ — streaming guide