Quick Definition
Open workouts culture is the set of traditions, rituals, and fighter reputations that have grown up around the UFC’s free, public pre-fight training sessions.
What is open workouts culture?
Open workouts culture describes everything that surrounds a UFC open workout beyond the drills themselves: free public access, meet-and-greets, the reputations fighters build for how they handle the spotlight, and a long-running debate over whether the sessions show anything real.
The tradition grew out of a practical need. Open workouts started as a way to generate hype and give fans free access to fighters before a card. Over the years, that practical function picked up its own identity. Certain fighters became known for their showmanship, and specific moments went viral. Fans started treating open workouts as an event worth watching in its own right, not just a footnote to fight week.
What separates the culture from the open workout itself is emphasis. The event is a short, scripted training appearance; the culture is the layer of expectation, personality, and tradition that has built up around it since the UFC started running them.
How an open workout works
A typical open workout moves through the fight card one name at a time. Each fighter gets an allotted slot, typically 15 to 30 minutes, to run through pad work, shadowboxing, or a walkthrough of grappling positions while music plays over the venue’s speakers. Coaches call out combinations. The fighter rarely moves past conversational pace.
After the drills, the fighter usually answers a handful of questions from reporters, then spends a few minutes signing autographs and posing for photos along the barricade. The full appearance is over inside half an hour.
Venues vary by market. Some cards hold open workouts on a casino floor, inside a mall, or at a local gym; UFC’s Las Vegas events often use the UFC Performance Institute. Wherever it happens, admission is free, and the session is built around visibility rather than volume of work.
Open workouts vs. weigh-ins and press conferences
Fans often lump the three fight-week rituals together because they share a public, ticket-free format. Each one serves a different purpose, and only one of them has any bearing on whether the fight goes ahead.
| Open workout | Press conference | Weigh-in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical day | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| What happens | Light training drills, Q&A, autographs | Fighters and Dana White take questions from media | Fighters step on a scale to confirm contracted weight |
| Physical activity | Pads, shadowboxing, light grappling | None | Stepping on a scale |
| Affects the fight? | No | No | Yes, missing weight can alter or cancel a bout |
| Public access | Free | Free | Free, though the number that counts is recorded earlier at a closed-door session |
What fans usually watch on the Friday stage is the ceremonial weigh-in, a photo-op face-off rather than the moment that determines eligibility. The figure that actually matters is recorded that morning at an official weigh-in overseen by the local athletic commission, typically between 9 and 11 a.m.
Traditions and personalities behind the culture
Not every fighter treats the spotlight the same way, and those differences are a big part of what open workouts culture actually is. UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones skipped his drills entirely at a 2016 open workout in Las Vegas, choosing to spend his allotted time signing autographs instead. Strawweight Michelle Waterson built a reputation doing the opposite: one newspaper profile dubbed her the “Queen of the Open Workout” for how much she engaged with the crowd during her turns.
A few hundred fans packing a mall food court or a casino floor two days before a pay-per-view generates clips (a fighter dancing through pad work, a coach hyping the room) that circulate on social media well past fight night. That afterlife, more than the training itself, is what keeps the tradition alive.
International cards have adapted the format rather than dropped it. Abu Dhabi’s Showdown Week and UFC’s Saudi Arabia events run their own open-workout sessions alongside fan expos and press Q&As, keeping the same free, fan-facing structure outside Las Vegas.
Common misconceptions about open workouts culture
The biggest misconception is that open workouts show how a fighter actually trains. Coaches and fighters hold back on purpose, running drills at a fraction of fight-night intensity so nothing resembling an actual game plan ends up on camera. What airs looks more like a highlight reel than genuine preparation, which is part of why the culture around the sessions draws more attention than the sessions themselves.
Open workouts also aren’t guaranteed on every card. The UFC paused them in 2020 when its Jacksonville, Florida events ran without fans under COVID-19 restrictions, and some international cards swap them for a stripped-down media day instead.
Nothing that happens at an open workout affects whether a fight goes forward. A flat or sloppy showing doesn’t get anyone pulled from a card. That authority belongs only to the official weigh-in the next morning, where making the contracted weight is what actually counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are UFC open workouts free to attend?
Yes. Open workouts are free and open to the public, though some markets require reserving a spot through the venue or a UFC Fight Club presale.
How long does a UFC open workout last?
Individual fighter sessions typically run 15 to 30 minutes, with the full event covering the card usually wrapping inside two hours.
What’s the difference between an open workout and a weigh-in?
An open workout is a public training appearance with no stakes attached. A weigh-in confirms a fighter has made contracted weight, and missing it can affect the fight itself.
Do open workouts happen for every UFC card?
Most numbered and Fight Night events include one, but venue availability or unusual circumstances, like the 2020 no-fan cards, can remove it from fight week.
Can a fighter skip their open workout?
Yes. Fighters aren’t required to perform drills. Jon Jones, for example, used his 2016 slot to greet fans instead of training.
Why do fans still show up if open workouts aren’t real training?
The appeal is proximity and personality, not intensity. Fans get free, close-up access to a fighter before fight night, and clips from the session often circulate on social media regardless of how hard anyone actually worked.
Sources
- UFC.com. “UFC Fight Week Guide.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.ufc.com/fight-week-guide - UFC.com. “Understanding UFC Weight Classes.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.ufc.com/news/understanding-ufc-weight-classes-and-weigh-ins - ESPN.com. “News and Notes From Around the Octagon.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.espn.com/blog/mma/post/_/id/3745/news-and-notes-from-around-the-octagon - Fox News. “Jon Jones Skips Open Workout, Spends Time With Fans Instead.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jon-jones-skips-open-workout-spends-time-with-fans-instead - Pressreader / Albuquerque Journal. “She’s a Fighter.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/albuquerque-journal/20200507/282020444465589 - MMAailm.ee. “UFC Weigh-In Rules Explained.” Accessed September 2026.
https://mmaailm.ee/en/ufc-weigh-in-rules-explained/ - Rogers Place. “UFC Open Workouts.” Accessed September 2026.
https://www.rogersplace.com/ufc-open-workouts/
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