A UFC card lasts one night, but for the fighters on it the work in public starts several days earlier. There are interviews, a press conference, two different weigh-ins and a lot of standing face to face with the opponent. The schedule is similar from one event to the next, so this guide follows one real example, UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles in September 2026, and notes where other events did things differently.
Early in the week: media day and open workouts
The first public job is usually media day, when fighters on the card take turns answering questions from reporters. For UFC 331 it was on Wednesday, September 16, three days before the fights. Episode 5 of UFC's own fight-week series, Embedded, shows champion Joshua Van, Marlon Vera and other UFC 331 fighters working through it, while heavyweight Gable Steveson worked out in front of fans.
Some events also hold open workouts, which UFC's schedules describe as a chance to watch fighters get fight ready. Before UFC 325 in Sydney, the open workouts were on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at the Sydney Event Centre, free to the public, with Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes, Benoit Saint Denis, Rafael Fiziev, Mauricio Ruffy and Tai Tuivasa taking part. The UFC 331 fight-week guide on UFC.com listed no open workouts at all, so the extras change from card to card.
Thursday: the press conference
For numbered events, Thursday usually brings the pre-fight press conference, with the main-card fighters on stage. The UFC 331 press conference was on Thursday, September 17 at Crypto.com Arena, with doors at 4 p.m. PT, and it was free and open to the public. UFC 325's took place the Thursday before that card, at 6 p.m. local time in Sydney, with eight fighters on stage.
The biggest week of the year adds more. UFC 329 in July 2026 was part of International Fight Week in Las Vegas, and on Thursday, July 9 the UFC Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2026 at T-Mobile Arena. The UFC 329 press conference followed at 7 p.m. PT in the same building.
Friday morning: the official weigh-in
The weigh-in that counts happens the day before the fights. UFC.com says fighters must step on the scale between 9 and 11 a.m. local time, and that a fighter who misses on the first attempt may get up to one extra hour, depending on the athletic commission overseeing the event and how much weight is left to lose. This weigh-in is overseen by the athletic commission, and it is separate from the show the crowd sees in the evening.
The limits are strict. In a non-title bout a fighter may weigh up to one pound over the division limit. In a title fight both fighters must be at or under the exact limit. At the UFC 331 weigh-in on Friday, September 18, all 24 fighters made weight. Van and Alexandre Pantoja each weighed exactly 125 for their flyweight title fight, and Arman Tsarukyan came in at 156 for his lightweight bout with Mauricio Ruffy, inside the one-pound allowance. The full limits for every division are in our guide to UFC weight classes.
When someone does miss, UFC.com lists three possible outcomes. The fighter can forfeit a percentage of their purse to the opponent, the two sides can agree to a catchweight bout, or the fight can be cancelled. A missed title weight has bigger consequences: in 2020 Deiveson Figueiredo weighed 127.5 for a flyweight title fight, so only his opponent, Joseph Benavidez, could win the belt that night.
Friday evening: the ceremonial weigh-in
Later that day comes the ceremonial weigh-in, which is the one fans usually picture. For UFC 331 the doors at Crypto.com Arena opened at 3:30 p.m. PT, the fighters were on the scale at 5 p.m., and entry was free. UFC's schedule describes it as the whole card stepping on the scale to weigh in and face off before Saturday. The official weights were already recorded that morning, so this one is for the crowd and the cameras, and for the face-offs.
At other cards the timing moves around. UFC 329's ceremonial weigh-in in Las Vegas put fighters on the scale at 6 p.m. PT on Friday, July 10, and UFC 325's was on Friday evening in Sydney, with fighters on the scale at 7:30 p.m. local time after a question-and-answer session with Van and Carlos Prates.
Fight day
On Saturday the card runs in three parts. For UFC 331 the doors opened at 1:30 p.m. PT, the early prelims began at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT), the prelims at 7 p.m. ET and the main card at 9 p.m. ET, all streaming on Paramount+ in the United States. The main event and co-main event were scheduled for five rounds and every other bout for three. UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, headlined by the rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, followed a similar pattern: doors at 1 p.m. PT, early prelims at 2 p.m., prelims at 4 p.m. and the main card at 6 p.m. PT, the last part only on Paramount+ in the US. After the card UFC.com publishes the results, the bonus winners and the official judges' scorecards, which you can read with the help of our explainer on how MMA judging works.
Cards outside the Americas often bend the local clock to fit US television. UFC 325 in Sydney started its early prelims at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 1, Sydney time, which put the main card at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday in the United States. The press conference and ceremonial weigh-in that week were held on Sydney evenings, on Thursday and Friday. Every upcoming card, with its start time in Eastern time, is on our UFC schedule.
