UFC Octagon Action: Fighters Grapple on the Mat

The UFC Octagon is a trademarked, eight-sided enclosed canvas cage designed in 1993 to eliminate traditional ring corners and safely contain fighters during grapples. Standard arena events feature a 30-foot diameter cage offering 750 square feet of fighting area, while smaller 25-foot Octagons are used at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. Raised four feet off the ground, the structure consists of a padded foam canvas surrounded by a six-foot vinyl-coated chain-link fence to give mixed martial artists a unique, neutral arena for striking and ground combat.