UFC Performance Institute releases the world’s biggest MMA Performance Report.
Almost a year after opening their Performance Institute, the UFC have released the first-ever comprehensive study of the sport of MMA in the form of an 80-page report entitled A Cross-Sectional Performance Analysis and Projection of the UFC Athlete. Kitman Labs had the opportunity to collaborate with and support the team at the UFC Performance Institute, as they commissioned the year long study. Below are some of the finding’s from the UFC’s report:
Fight duration:
- Average fight duration has increased 32.2% to 10:43 minutes since 2002
- Heavyweights have the shortest average fight duration at 8:02 minutes
- Strawweights have the longest average fight duration at 12:35 minutes
Win methods:
- Rear naked choke is the most common submission finish, with guillotine being the second most common
- Heavyweight fights are won 60.1% of the time by KO/TKO
- Flyweights go to decision a majority of the time, 60.3% to be exact
- Middleweight fights have the most even distribution of win methods: 38.2% KO/TKO, 22.9% submission and 38.9% going to decision
Strikes:
- Average strikes attempted has doubled since 2002 to 8.5 strikes attempted per minute
- Women’s bantamweight and strawweight have the highest strike frequency in UFC at 8.87 and 8.9, respectively
In terms of physical performance benchmarks, the study found the following:
- With an average vertical jump height of 23.8″, light heavyweights have the highest performance standards for lower body power
- Men’s featherweights have the highest relative strength, measured as force/bodyweight, at 3.8 times their bodyweight
The study also reviewed data regarding injuries and found the following:
- The highest injury risk by frequency comes from striking techniques, accounting for 36.5% of all injury mechanisms
- The highest injury severity risk, however, comes from take-downs and grappling, with an average injury duration of 112 and 129 days, respectively
- The most common injuries sustained during training are: knee (15.6%), foot (10.7%) and shoulder (9.7%)
To view the full report, click here.