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
31
Valentina Shevchenko
Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso
14 Sep 2024
16:04
32
Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver vs Dennis Hallman
28 Sep 2001
16:02
33
Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes vs Hayato Sakurai
22 Mar 2002
15:52
34
Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval
16 Dec 2023
15:51
35
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz vs Frank Shamrock
24 Sep 1999
15:50
35
Randy Couture
Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia
3 Mar 2007
15:50
37
Anthony Hernandez
Anthony Hernandez vs Michel Pereira
19 Oct 2024
15:42
38
Michael Chiesa
Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny
20 Jan 2021
15:21
Advertisement
39
Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou
20 Jan 2018
15:02
40
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit
17 Nov 2012
15:00
40
Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee vs Edson Barboza
21 Apr 2018
15:00
42
Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes vs Sean Sherk
25 Apr 2003
14:59
Advertisement
43
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre vs BJ Penn
31 Jan 2009
14:58
44
Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler
16 Nov 2024
14:52
45
Rafael Dos Anjos
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Anthony Pettis
14 Mar 2015
14:44

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 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.
Share image

Most Control Time in a UFC Fight: top 10

The top 10 as one image. Free to share, updated after every UFC card.

Download image Open full size