Most Control Time in a UFC Fight

Most control time by one fighter in a single fight. UFC bouts with round-by-round data, 1994–present.

Filters All divisions · Single fighter
50 record performances
1
Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca
7 Jul 2007
22:18
2
Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus Du Plessis
16 Aug 2025
21:40
3
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz vs Vladimir Matyushenko
28 Sep 2001
21:32
4
Randy Couture
Randy Couture vs Tito Ortiz
26 Sep 2003
21:14
5
Jailton Almeida
Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis
4 Nov 2023
21:10
6
Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira vs Max Holloway
7 Mar 2026
20:49
7
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre vs Dan Hardy
27 Mar 2010
20:31
8
Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland
10 Apr 2021
20:01
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9
Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva
7 Aug 2010
19:53
10
Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov
20 Jun 2020
19:52
11
Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk vs Kenny Florian
14 Oct 2006
19:49
12
Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen vs Rob Font
5 Aug 2023
19:38
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13
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz vs Wanderlei Silva
14 Apr 2000
19:13
14
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena
15 Nov 2025
19:10
15
Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
14 Dec 2019
18:29

The most control time ever logged in a single UFC fight — total minutes spent dominating from top position or the clinch.

The Most Control Time in a Single UFC Fight

Control time is the quiet stat of total domination — the accumulated minutes a fighter spends pinning, mounting, and smothering an opponent. This record book ranks the most suffocating single-fight control performances in UFC history, in minutes and seconds, by one fighter and by both combined.

Topping out above twenty-two minutes of control in a single fight means an opponent barely had a moment of freedom across five rounds. Use the Single Fighter and Combined tabs and filter by division to explore the most complete grappling shutouts on record.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the record for the most control time in a UFC fight?
Sean Sherk, with 22:18 of control time. Set against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: Stacked, July 2007. Second: Khamzat Chimaev (21:40). Measured over UFC bouts with round-by-round statistics recorded on MMA.SOCIAL. A bout with no per-round data cannot appear here.
What does control time actually measure?
Control time counts every second a fighter spends controlling an opponent on the ground or against the cage in the clinch — mount, back, half guard, side control, or a pinning clinch. It is the clearest single number for positional grappling dominance.
What is the difference between the single and combined control records?
The single view ranks one fighter's control across a whole bout; the combined view adds both fighters together for the same bout. Combined control is best read as how much of the fight was spent with somebody in control, so it surfaces the bouts fought almost entirely on the mat or against the fence.
Why is control time shown in minutes and seconds?
Because it is a duration, not a count. A figure like 22:18 means twenty-two minutes and eighteen seconds of accumulated control across the fight. In a five-round bout with 25 minutes of total action, that represents near-complete positional domination.
Does high control time always mean a boring fight?
Not necessarily. Elite control often comes with ground-and-pound damage, submission attempts, and constant advancement. The most memorable control performances pair suffocating position with real offense, which is why many appear alongside high strike and submission-attempt counts.
Most Control Time in a UFC Fight - top 10 (MMA.SOCIAL): 1. Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca (22:18), 2. Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus Du Plessis (21:40), 3. Tito Ortiz vs Vladimir Matyushenko (21:32), 4. Randy Couture vs Tito Ortiz (21:14), 5. Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis (21:10), 6. Charles Oliveira vs Max Holloway (20:49), 7. Georges St-Pierre vs Dan Hardy (20:31), 8. Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland (20:01), 9. Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva (19:53), 10. Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov (19:52)
Most Control Time in a UFC Fight - top 10, updated Oct 23, 2026.
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Most Control Time in a UFC Fight: top 10

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What is the record for the most control time in a UFC fight?

Sean Sherk, with 22:18 of control time.

Set against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: Stacked, July 2007. Second: Khamzat Chimaev (21:40).

Measured over UFC bouts with round-by-round statistics recorded on MMA.SOCIAL. A bout with no per-round data cannot appear here.