Most Combined 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
Randy Couture vs Tito Ortiz
23:23
Control
2
Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca
22:59
Control
3
Tito Ortiz vs Vladimir Matyushenko
22:42
Control
4
Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev
22:33
Control
5
Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira
22:25
Control
6
Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis
22:07
Control
7
Georges St-Pierre vs Dan Hardy
21:07
Control
8
Cory Sandhagen vs Rob Font
20:46
Control
9
Matt Hughes vs Sean Sherk
20:45
Control
10
Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov
20:38
Control
11
Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva
20:26
Control
12
Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
20:23
Control
13
Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill
20:23
Control
14
Sean Sherk vs Kenny Florian
20:21
Control
15
Demetrious Johnson vs Tim Elliott
20:14
Control
16
Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
20:09
Control
17
Marvin Vettori vs Kevin Holland
20:04
Control
18
Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg
19:55
Control
19
Ricco Rodriguez vs Randy Couture
19:51
Control
20
Dave Menne vs Gil Castillo
19:32
Control
21
Tito Ortiz vs Wanderlei Silva
19:20
Control
22
Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad
19:13
Control
23
Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev
19:10
Control
24
Kevin Randleman vs Pete Williams
18:47
Control
25
Quinton Jackson vs Dan Henderson
18:46
Control
26
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Kamaru Usman
18:45
Control
27
Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen
18:44
Control
28
Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland
18:42
Control
29
Tyron Woodley vs Kamaru Usman
18:13
Control
30
Jens Pulver vs Dennis Hallman
17:53
Control
31
Aljamain Sterling vs Youssef Zalal
17:48
Control
32
Benson Henderson vs Nate Diaz
17:42
Control
33
Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny
17:36
Control
34
Valentina Shevchenko vs Jennifer Maia
17:25
Control
35
Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos
17:25
Control
36
Matt Hughes vs Carlos Newton
17:06
Control
37
Rose Namajunas vs Paige VanZant
17:06
Control
38
Demian Maia vs Jake Shields
17:03
Control
39
Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
16:53
Control
40
Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler
16:51
Control
41
Zhang Weili vs Tatiana Suarez
16:50
Control
42
Zhang Weili vs Amanda Lemos
16:41
Control
43
Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval
16:38
Control
44
Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal
16:38
Control
45
Anthony Hernandez vs Michel Pereira
16:38
Control
46
Colby Covington vs Jorge Masvidal
16:35
Control
47
Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia
16:35
Control
48
Stipe Miocic vs Mark Hunt
16:27
Control
49
Josh Barnett vs Roy Nelson
16:13
Control
50
Frankie Edgar vs Cub Swanson
16:10
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.