You're sitting there, wings getting cold, wondering when the actual walkouts start. It happens every single Saturday. You tune in for the big name on the poster, but the broadcast seems to stretch on forever. If you are trying to figure out how many fights before main event tonight, the answer usually depends on whether we are looking at a standard UFC Vegas card, a massive numbered PPV, or a local boxing show.
Usually, a standard UFC broadcast features 12 to 14 fights in total. That sounds like a lot because it is. You've got the early prelims, the regular prelims, and then the main card. Most people only care about that final five-fight stretch. If you’re watching a major Pay-Per-View, there are almost always four fights standing between the start of the main card and the headliners making their walk.
Timing these things is a nightmare. MMA isn't like basketball where the clock is fixed. A fight can end in ten seconds with a spinning back kick, or it can be a 15-minute wrestling match that feels like three hours.
The Standard Structure of a Fight Night
Most promoters follow a very specific math. For the UFC, the main card is the "show." It typically starts at 10 PM ET. There are five fights on that portion of the broadcast. So, when the main card starts, you have four fights to get through before the main event.
But wait.
You also have the prelims. If you’re a hardcore fan, you’re counting those too. Often, there are 6 to 8 fights on the preliminary card. If you sit down at the very beginning of the night, you might be looking at 11 or 12 fights before the big one. That is a massive time commitment. Honestly, it's exhausting if you aren't a die-hard.
Boxing is even more unpredictable. A Top Rank or PBC card might list ten "bouts," but half of them are "swing bouts." These are fights used to fill time if the televised fights end too early. If a knockout happens in the first round of the co-main, the producers will throw on two guys you've never heard of just to keep the lights on until the 11 PM Eastern slot.
Why the Count Changes Last Minute
Fights fall through. It’s the most frustrating part of being a combat sports fan. You check the lineup on Friday, see 13 fights, and by Saturday afternoon, a fighter has missed weight or caught a staph infection. Suddenly, the count of how many fights before main event tonight drops.
When a fight gets canceled on the main card, the UFC usually bumps a preliminary fight up. This keeps the "four fights before the main" rhythm intact for the PPV buyers. They have to fill that three-hour television window regardless. They have sponsors like Monster Energy and Crypto.com that paid for a specific amount of airtime.
Pacing: The "Dead Time" Factor
If you’re trying to time your pizza delivery, don't just count the fights. Count the fluff. Between every single fight, there are video packages. There are interviews with fighters in the crowd. There are "expert" panels breaking down a fight that just happened.
In a standard UFC main card:
- Fight 1: 30 minutes (including intros and post-fight)
- Fight 2: 30 minutes
- Fight 3: 30 minutes
- Fight 4 (Co-Main): 40 minutes (it’s usually a title fight or high stakes)
That is roughly two and a half hours of content before the main event walkouts even begin. If the main card starts at 10 PM, expect the headliners to touch gloves around 12:15 AM or 12:30 AM ET. It’s a late night. Every time.
The Difference Between PPV and Fight Nights
UFC Fight Nights (the ones on ESPN+) are sometimes shorter. They might only have 11 fights total. The main card might only have five or even six fights. Sometimes they move faster because there is less "spectacle" than a numbered event like UFC 310 or 312.
International cards are a whole different beast. If the fight is in London or Abu Dhabi, the "tonight" part of your search might actually mean "this afternoon." Always check the local time zone. A main event in Abu Dhabi usually walks out around 4 PM or 5 PM ET. If you wait until 10 PM to check how many fights are left, you’ll be looking at a blank screen and spoilers on Twitter.
How to Calculate Your Own "Walkout Time"
If you want to be the smart one in the room, use the "30-minute rule."
Take the number of fights listed on the main card. Subtract one (the main event). Multiply that by 30. That is how many minutes you have from the start of the broadcast until the main event starts.
For example, if the main card has 5 fights:
$4 \times 30 = 120$ minutes.
That’s two hours. It’s a rough estimate, but it’s rarely wrong by more than fifteen minutes. The only thing that ruins this is a string of first-round KOs. If the first three fights end in under two minutes, the UFC will pump the broadcast full of commercials and "looking back at" segments to slow things down. They hate finishing early because the cable providers expect them to fill the slot.
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The Underdog Factor: Why Prelims Matter
While you're asking how many fights before main event tonight, don't sleep on the prelims. Some of the best finishes happen when two hungry prospects are fighting for a $50,000 bonus on the early part of the card.
The "count" includes these guys. If the total card has 13 fights, and you're currently watching fight number 4, you have 9 fights to go. That’s a lot of leather being thrown.
- Check the official bout order on a site like Tapology or the UFC's official home page.
- Count the number of matches between the current one and the top of the bill.
- Add 10 minutes for every heavyweight fight (they often go the distance or have long breaks).
- Subtract 5 minutes for flyweight fights (they move fast, though they often go to decisions).
What About Boxing Cards?
Boxing is notoriously worse at staying on schedule than MMA. If you are watching a major heavyweight title fight, the "undercard" can be grueling. There might be six fights before the main event, but boxing rounds are three minutes with one-minute rests. A ten-round fight takes about 40 minutes minimum when you include the ring walks and the decision.
If there are four fights before a boxing main event, you could be waiting three hours. If the undercard is full of prospects fighting "tomato cans" (easy opponents), you might see four knockouts in an hour. It’s a gamble.
Honestly, the best way to handle it is to keep a live-updating site open. Social media is usually the fastest way to see which fight is currently in the cage. If you see people tweeting about the "Co-Main Event," you know you’ve got exactly one fight left before the big show.
Common Misconceptions About the Main Event Start
People often think the "Main Event" starts as soon as the previous fight ends. It doesn't.
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There is a "Main Event Video Package." It’s usually five to seven minutes long. It has dramatic music, Joe Rogan screaming about "the greatest of all time," and cinematic shots of the fighters training in dark gyms. Then you have the walkouts. Each fighter takes about three to five minutes to get to the cage, get greased up with Vaseline, and checked by the ref. Then the introductions. Bruce Buffer isn't fast. He's legendary, but he takes his time.
By the time the referee says "Fight!", you’ve usually spent twenty minutes just waiting through the ceremonies.
Practical Steps for Fight Night
To make sure you don't miss the opening bell, follow these steps:
- Check the official card height: Open the UFC app or a sports news site an hour before you think it starts.
- Identify the Co-Main: Once the Co-Main event starts (the second-to-last fight), you are roughly 30-45 minutes away from the main event.
- Account for the "Swing": If you see a fight that wasn't on the main card suddenly appearing, the producers are stalling. This means the main event will start exactly at its scheduled time, not a minute earlier.
- Watch the clock, not the fights: Broadcasters aim for the main event to start at the top of the hour (usually midnight or 1 AM ET). If the fights are going fast, they will slow down. If they are going slow, they will cut the post-fight interviews short.
Combat sports are chaotic. That’s why we love them. But that chaos makes answering how many fights before main event tonight a moving target. Stick to the "four fights on the main card" rule for most UFC events, and you'll usually be right on the money.
Stay tuned to the live broadcast for any "bout order" changes, as these happen frequently due to medical issues or commission decisions behind the scenes. Knowing the count is the difference between catching a legendary KO and seeing the winner with his hand already raised while you're still in the kitchen.