Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in : The Octagon and fighting area

A contest takes place in an enclosed cage or ring under a referee's control. Non-title fights are three rounds; championship and main-event fights are five, each lasting five minutes with a one-minute rest between them. Fighters wear four-to-six-ounce open-fingered gloves and compete within a designated weight class after making weight at an official weigh-in. Three judges score every round using the 10-Point Must System, and the referee can stop the bout at any moment to protect a fighter who can no longer intelligently defend himself.

Most modern MMA is contested in a fenced enclosure. The UFC's eight-sided cage, the Octagon, measures 30 feet across with a five-foot padded fence, keeping fighters inside and adding a wall that can be used to press, clinch and defend takedowns. Other promotions use a ring or a circular cage. The enclosed space is a strategic surface in its own right: fighters cut angles toward the center, back opponents into the fence to grind, and use the cage as leverage to stand up or finish a takedown.

Fighters compete within a division to keep matchups fair. The UFC runs eight men's classes from flyweight (125 lb) up through heavyweight (265 lb) and four women's classes from strawweight (115 lb) to featherweight (145 lb). Athletes weigh in the day before, often after a severe water cut, then rehydrate overnight. Missing weight means forfeiting a percentage of the purse and, sometimes, the bout being changed to a catchweight. Title fights carry a strict one-pound allowance that non-title bouts do not.