UFC Quiz
Gracie, McGregor, Khabib, Rousey, Jones: 15 questions on the fights and rules that built the UFC.
What is the eight sided cage used for UFC fights called?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Octagon
The Octagon has eight sides and a diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m) for major events, with fencing about 6 feet (1.8 m) high. It was designed for the very first UFC event in 1993.
The UFC trademarked the Octagon name, so rival promotions use cages with different shapes, such as Bellator's circular cage.
In which year was UFC 1 held in Denver, Colorado?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1993
UFC 1 took place on November 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena as a one night, eight man tournament with no weight classes, no judges and almost no rules.
The event was conceived by Rorion Gracie and advertising executive Art Davie to settle which martial art was the most effective.
Who won the first UFC tournament in 1993?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Royce Gracie
The lightest man in the field at about 176 lb (80 kg), Gracie submitted three opponents in under five minutes of total fighting, proving Brazilian jiu-jitsu could beat bigger strikers and wrestlers.
Royce was chosen to represent the family over his bigger brother Rickson precisely because his slight frame would make the point more convincingly.
Which executive has been the public face of the UFC, first as president and later as CEO, since 2001?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Dana White
White persuaded his childhood friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to buy the struggling UFC for $2 million in January 2001 and has run the promotion ever since.
Meyrowitz's company SEG created the UFC and sold it to the Fertittas, while Coker ran the rival promotions Strikeforce and Bellator.
Who became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles at the same time, by beating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Conor McGregor
McGregor, already the featherweight champion, knocked out lightweight champion Alvarez in the second round at UFC 205, the first UFC card held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Cormier, Nunes and Cejudo later became simultaneous two division champions, and Nunes was the first woman to do it.
Which lightweight champion retired undefeated with a record of 29 wins and no losses in 2020?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, then announced his retirement in the cage, having promised his mother he would not fight on after his father's death that year.
Nurmagomedov's smothering wrestling came from a childhood in Dagestan, where a famous video shows him grappling with a bear cub.
How long is each round in a UFC fight?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Five minutes
Rounds last five minutes with a one minute rest between them. Standard bouts are three rounds, while title fights and main events are scheduled for five.
The earliest UFC events had no rounds or time limits at all, one reason the sport was banned in many US states during the 1990s.
Who was the first UFC women's champion, crowned when the bantamweight division was created in 2012?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ronda Rousey
Rousey, an Olympic judo bronze medallist, was named the first UFC women's bantamweight champion in December 2012 and finished her first six title defences, mostly by armbar.
Dana White had said in 2011 that women would never fight in the UFC, and Rousey changed his mind within a year.
Who knocked out Ronda Rousey with a head kick at UFC 193 in Melbourne in 2015?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Holly Holm
Holm, a former boxing world champion, outboxed Rousey before landing a left high kick in the second round in front of a UFC record crowd of more than 56,000 at Etihad Stadium.
Holm lost the belt in her first defence to Miesha Tate, who lost it to Amanda Nunes, who then beat Rousey in 48 seconds in her comeback fight.
Which fighter holds the UFC record for consecutive title defences, with 11 at flyweight?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Demetrious Johnson
Johnson, nicknamed Mighty Mouse, defended the 125 lb (57 kg) title 11 times between 2012 and 2017, passing Anderson Silva's 10 middleweight defences with a flying armbar finish of Ray Borg at UFC 216.
Johnson was traded to ONE Championship in 2018 in exchange for Ben Askren, the only trade of its kind between major MMA promotions.
Which company led the group that bought the UFC for about $4 billion in 2016?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
WME-IMG
The Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG, later renamed Endeavor, paid $4.025 billion to the Fertitta brothers' company Zuffa, at the time the biggest sale of a sports organisation in history.
In 2023 Endeavor merged the UFC with WWE to form TKO Group Holdings, a publicly traded company.
Who fought Stephan Bonnar in the 2005 Ultimate Fighter finale often credited with saving the UFC?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Forrest Griffin
Griffin won a slugfest decision over Bonnar on April 9, 2005, live on Spike TV, and Dana White has repeatedly called it the most important fight in UFC history. Both men were given contracts.
Before The Ultimate Fighter aired, Zuffa had lost around $40 million on the UFC and was considering selling the company.
Who is the youngest champion in UFC history, winning the light heavyweight title at age 23 in 2011?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Jon Jones
Jones stopped Maurício "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011 at the age of 23, hours after helping police catch a mugger in Paterson, New Jersey, on the morning of the fight.
Jones added the heavyweight title in 2023 by submitting Ciryl Gane in the first round at UFC 285.
Which former welterweight champion returned from a four year layoff to win the middleweight title at UFC 217 in 2017?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Georges St-Pierre
St-Pierre choked out Michael Bisping in the third round at Madison Square Garden in his first fight since 2013, becoming the fourth fighter to win UFC titles in two divisions.
St-Pierre vacated the belt a month later, citing ulcerative colitis, and never fought again, retiring with 26 wins and two losses.
Which media company agreed a reported $7.7 billion, seven year deal in 2025 to carry UFC events from 2026?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Paramount
Paramount Skydance signed a seven year, $7.7 billion deal in August 2025 to stream every UFC event on Paramount+ from 2026, ending the promotion's pay-per-view model in the United States.
ESPN had held the UFC rights since 2019, when it took over from Fox, and McGregor against Khabib at UFC 229 in 2018 remains the best selling UFC pay-per-view.
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All Sports quizzes →About the UFC Quiz
The UFC began in 1993 as a one night tournament with almost no rules, won by a slender Brazilian named Royce Gracie. Three decades later it is a global promotion sold for $4 billion in 2016, with champions such as Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones among the most famous athletes on earth.
These 15 questions cover the history, the champions, the rules and the fights that mattered: the Octagon, UFC 1 in Denver, the Griffin and Bonnar brawl that saved the company, Holly Holm's head kick in Melbourne and the record 11 title defences of Demetrious Johnson. It suits new fans who found the sport through McGregor and old heads who remember Spike TV.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
When was the first UFC event?
UFC 1 was held on November 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Royce Gracie won the eight man tournament with three submissions in one night.
How long are UFC fights?
Rounds last five minutes with a one minute break. Regular bouts are three rounds and championship fights and main events are five rounds, so a title fight can last 25 minutes.
Who holds the record for most consecutive UFC title defences?
Demetrious Johnson, who defended the flyweight title 11 times in a row between 2012 and 2017, breaking the record of 10 set by middleweight Anderson Silva.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- What is the eight sided cage used for UFC fights called?
The Octagon The Octagon has eight sides and a diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m) for major events, with fencing about 6 feet (1.8 m) high. It was designed for the very first UFC event in 1993. The UFC trademarked the Octagon name, so rival promotions use cages with different shapes, such as Bellator's circular cage. - In which year was UFC 1 held in Denver, Colorado?
1993 UFC 1 took place on November 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena as a one night, eight man tournament with no weight classes, no judges and almost no rules. The event was conceived by Rorion Gracie and advertising executive Art Davie to settle which martial art was the most effective. - Who won the first UFC tournament in 1993?
Royce Gracie The lightest man in the field at about 176 lb (80 kg), Gracie submitted three opponents in under five minutes of total fighting, proving Brazilian jiu-jitsu could beat bigger strikers and wrestlers. Royce was chosen to represent the family over his bigger brother Rickson precisely because his slight frame would make the point more convincingly. - Which executive has been the public face of the UFC, first as president and later as CEO, since 2001?
Dana White White persuaded his childhood friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to buy the struggling UFC for $2 million in January 2001 and has run the promotion ever since. Meyrowitz's company SEG created the UFC and sold it to the Fertittas, while Coker ran the rival promotions Strikeforce and Bellator. - Who became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles at the same time, by beating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016?
Conor McGregor McGregor, already the featherweight champion, knocked out lightweight champion Alvarez in the second round at UFC 205, the first UFC card held at Madison Square Garden in New York. Cormier, Nunes and Cejudo later became simultaneous two division champions, and Nunes was the first woman to do it. - Which lightweight champion retired undefeated with a record of 29 wins and no losses in 2020?
Khabib Nurmagomedov Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, then announced his retirement in the cage, having promised his mother he would not fight on after his father's death that year. Nurmagomedov's smothering wrestling came from a childhood in Dagestan, where a famous video shows him grappling with a bear cub. - How long is each round in a UFC fight?
Five minutes Rounds last five minutes with a one minute rest between them. Standard bouts are three rounds, while title fights and main events are scheduled for five. The earliest UFC events had no rounds or time limits at all, one reason the sport was banned in many US states during the 1990s. - Who was the first UFC women's champion, crowned when the bantamweight division was created in 2012?
Ronda Rousey Rousey, an Olympic judo bronze medallist, was named the first UFC women's bantamweight champion in December 2012 and finished her first six title defences, mostly by armbar. Dana White had said in 2011 that women would never fight in the UFC, and Rousey changed his mind within a year. - Who knocked out Ronda Rousey with a head kick at UFC 193 in Melbourne in 2015?
Holly Holm Holm, a former boxing world champion, outboxed Rousey before landing a left high kick in the second round in front of a UFC record crowd of more than 56,000 at Etihad Stadium. Holm lost the belt in her first defence to Miesha Tate, who lost it to Amanda Nunes, who then beat Rousey in 48 seconds in her comeback fight. - Which fighter holds the UFC record for consecutive title defences, with 11 at flyweight?
Demetrious Johnson Johnson, nicknamed Mighty Mouse, defended the 125 lb (57 kg) title 11 times between 2012 and 2017, passing Anderson Silva's 10 middleweight defences with a flying armbar finish of Ray Borg at UFC 216. Johnson was traded to ONE Championship in 2018 in exchange for Ben Askren, the only trade of its kind between major MMA promotions. - Which company led the group that bought the UFC for about $4 billion in 2016?
WME-IMG The Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG, later renamed Endeavor, paid $4.025 billion to the Fertitta brothers' company Zuffa, at the time the biggest sale of a sports organisation in history. In 2023 Endeavor merged the UFC with WWE to form TKO Group Holdings, a publicly traded company. - Who fought Stephan Bonnar in the 2005 Ultimate Fighter finale often credited with saving the UFC?
Forrest Griffin Griffin won a slugfest decision over Bonnar on April 9, 2005, live on Spike TV, and Dana White has repeatedly called it the most important fight in UFC history. Both men were given contracts. Before The Ultimate Fighter aired, Zuffa had lost around $40 million on the UFC and was considering selling the company. - Who is the youngest champion in UFC history, winning the light heavyweight title at age 23 in 2011?
Jon Jones Jones stopped Maurício "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011 at the age of 23, hours after helping police catch a mugger in Paterson, New Jersey, on the morning of the fight. Jones added the heavyweight title in 2023 by submitting Ciryl Gane in the first round at UFC 285. - Which former welterweight champion returned from a four year layoff to win the middleweight title at UFC 217 in 2017?
Georges St-Pierre St-Pierre choked out Michael Bisping in the third round at Madison Square Garden in his first fight since 2013, becoming the fourth fighter to win UFC titles in two divisions. St-Pierre vacated the belt a month later, citing ulcerative colitis, and never fought again, retiring with 26 wins and two losses. - Which media company agreed a reported $7.7 billion, seven year deal in 2025 to carry UFC events from 2026?
Paramount Paramount Skydance signed a seven year, $7.7 billion deal in August 2025 to stream every UFC event on Paramount+ from 2026, ending the promotion's pay-per-view model in the United States. ESPN had held the UFC rights since 2019, when it took over from Fox, and McGregor against Khabib at UFC 229 in 2018 remains the best selling UFC pay-per-view.
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