Why does the UFC use an Octagon?

The Octagon is one of the most iconic aspects of the world’s largest MMA promotion, the UFC. Any-one who watches MMA knows what it is, however, not everyone knows why the UFC uses an Octagon. Why not use a ring like in boxing?

In this article, we’ll aim to answer the question “why does the UFC use an Octagon”, as well as many other questions.

What is the UFC Octagon

The Octagon refers to the unique fighting arena in which fights in the UFC happen in. It is called an Octagon because it has 8 sides to it. Every fight in UFC must take place in the official Octagon.

Fights are never held in a boxing ring or a circle of sand or any other traditional spaces which other martial arts fights occur in.

According to the UFC, there is a specific purpose to the size and shape of the Octagon

UFC official website: “[The Octagon] was created with both safety and fairness in mind. Its walls and padded surfaces protect fighters from falling out (or getting thrown out).

The wide angles prevent fighters from getting stuck in a corner with no way out. Since boxing is fought in a square ring and wrestling in a circle, the Octagon avoids giving any one martial arts discipline the advantage.”

Who invented the Octagon?

Like with most things in MMA, we have the Gracie family to thank for the modern day UFC Octagon. The Gracie family are known as the first ever martial arts family.

Rorion Gracie literally helped found the UFC. So it’s no surprise that he was tasked with coming up with some aspects of the promotion that would make it stand out from its competitors.

He decided that the fighting arena would be a pivotal element to making the UFC unique.

After much back and forth over what the fighting arena might look like, UFC eventually decided on an Octagon shaped cage.

Did UFC have other ideas before deciding on an Octagon?

Before Rorion Gracie and UFC settled on the idea of an Octagon, they did toss around a few other imaginative, and crazy, ideas.

One idea was to create a moat around the cage, which would have sharks in it (absolute madness).

Another idea was to have an electric fence going around the cage, which would electrocute contestants.

Luckily for UFC fighters, they settled on the Octagon instead.

Why doesn’t UFC use a ring, like in boxing?

UFC, along with other MMA promotions, decided to use an Octagon shape for their fights instead of a boxing ring, for 2 reasons.

Firstly, they wanted to create something new, unique and something that would make them stand out from other combat sports promotions.

Secondly, they wanted to avoid using a ring because this would favor boxers. Just like the name says, MMA, the sport is about mixing martial arts together. Therefore, you do not want a fighting arena which favors one combat sport over another.

What is the Octagon made out of?

According to the official UFC website, the Octagon has a hard, plastic-coated fence which prevents fighters from tumbling out of the cage (like you sometimes see in boxing rings).

The inside space of the traditional Octagon is 30 feet. There is also another Octagon shape, in the UFC Apex, which is smaller, at 25 feet.

The finish rate for fights taking place in the 25 feet Octagon is a lot higher that in the traditional one. It has a finish rate of 60%, compared to a finish rate of 48% in the traditional one.

The floor is textured plywood and is hand painted. The floor is specially made for each UFC event. It has an 1/8 inch thick foam padding on top of it.

The top of the Octagon is lined with foam padding as well.

There are 2 entrance gates, on opposite sides of the Octagon, which fighters and officials can use to enter the cage.

Is the Octagon floor hard?

The floor of the Octagon is not too hard. The foam padding on it offers some absorption support for fighters. However, it is definitely not soft either.

Fighters have been known to get knocked out in fights, as their opponents slam them down on the Octagon floor.