Most Control Time in a UFC Fight
The most control time ever logged in a single UFC fight — total minutes spent dominating from top position or the clinch.
50 record performances
1
Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca
22:18
Control
2
Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus Du Plessis
21:40
Control
3
Tito Ortiz vs Vladimir Matyushenko
21:32
Control
4
Randy Couture vs Tito Ortiz
21:14
Control
5
Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis
21:10
Control
6
Charles Oliveira vs Max Holloway
20:49
Control
7
Georges St-Pierre vs Dan Hardy
20:31
Control
8
Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland
20:01
Control
9
Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva
19:53
Control
10
Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov
19:52
Control
11
Sean Sherk vs Kenny Florian
19:49
Control
12
Cory Sandhagen vs Rob Font
19:38
Control
13
Tito Ortiz vs Wanderlei Silva
19:13
Control
14
Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena
19:10
Control
15
Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
18:29
Control
16
Kamaru Usman vs Rafael Dos Anjos
18:24
Control
17
Kamaru Usman vs Tyron Woodley
18:13
Control
18
Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg
17:47
Control
19
Kevin Randleman vs Pete Williams
17:39
Control
20
Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos
17:23
Control
21
Benson Henderson vs Nate Diaz
16:58
Control
22
Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland
16:55
Control
23
Rose Namajunas vs Paige VanZant
16:40
Control
24
Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal
16:38
Control
25
Demetrious Johnson vs Tim Elliott
16:36
Control
26
Stipe Miocic vs Mark Hunt
16:27
Control
27
Matt Hughes vs Carlos Newton
16:15
Control
28
Colby Covington vs Jorge Masvidal
16:14
Control
29
Frankie Edgar vs Cub Swanson
16:10
Control
30
Zhang Weili vs Amanda Lemos
16:07
Control
31
Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso
16:04
Control
32
Jens Pulver vs Dennis Hallman
16:02
Control
33
Matt Hughes vs Hayato Sakurai
15:52
Control
34
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval
15:51
Control
35
Tito Ortiz vs Frank Shamrock
15:50
Control
36
Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia
15:50
Control
37
Anthony Hernandez vs Michel Pereira
15:42
Control
38
Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny
15:21
Control
39
Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou
15:02
Control
40
Kevin Lee vs Edson Barboza
15:00
Control
41
Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit
15:00
Control
42
Matt Hughes vs Sean Sherk
14:59
Control
43
Georges St-Pierre vs BJ Penn
14:58
Control
44
Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler
14:52
Control
45
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Anthony Pettis
14:44
Control
46
Diego Sanchez vs Craig White
14:22
Control
47
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Paul Felder
14:15
Control
48
Vladimir Matyushenko vs Yuki Kondo
14:14
Control
49
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Bryan Battle
14:11
Control
50
Randy Couture vs Vitor Belfort
14:06
Control
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 most control time in a single UFC fight?
The single-fight control-time record is held by Sean Sherk at over 22 minutes of control against his opponent at UFC 73 in 2007 — an almost total positional shutout across a five-round fight, leaving barely any time not spent under his control.
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.
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.