Are you wondering what you should wear to a UFC fight/event?
In this article, we’ll discuss what you should wear to a UFC fight/event and how it’s affected by a few different questions.
The answers provided will also answer the question: what to wear to an MMA fight/event?
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What To Wear to a UFC (MMA) Fight/Event?
There is no dress code for a UFC event, so what you wear to a UFC fight/event is entirely up to you. You can dress casually, smartly, or somewhere in between. The majority of fans (men and women) dress casually and wear a t-shirt, jeans, and trainers to a UFC fight/event because it’s comfortable and looks good.
However, what you wear to a UFC fight may depend on four questions:
- Is your night continuing after the UFC event?
- Do you want to maximize comfort or how you look?
- Where are you sitting in the arena?
- What arena is hosting the UFC event?
1. Is Your Night Continuing After the UFC Event?
If you’re going out to the clubs or bars after a UFC event finishes, you’ll want to wear to a UFC fight the clothes you want to wear to the club. This means researching potential dress codes of the places you’re going to, and most often it means dressing smartly to avoid rejection at the club entrance.
For men, this is likely a suit or jeans/trousers with a t-shirt/shirt and shoes, and for women, it’s likely a dress/skirt and heels or shoes.
Most UFC events finish late, around midnight or later, and depending on where the UFC event is, many clubs/bars may close around 1 or 2 a.m., so you have to be quick, getting from the UFC venue to the club.
Combined with how you’ll likely be drunk or high, or both, you don’t want to be changing clothes in the toilets, wasting time, and carrying these clothes to a club or party.
If your night isn’t continuing after the event, then you may decide to dress less smart.
2. Do You Want To Maximize Comfort or How You Look?
So you’ve decided you’re not going out after the UFC event, or you’ve looked up the local dress code of the bars and clubs and casual wear is acceptable. Next, you need to decide whether you want to maximize comfort, how you look, or a balance between the two.
Every UFC event has celebrities attending, from Donald Trump to famous actors/actresses and fighters, you never know who you might bump into or be seen on TV with. A UFC event is also a great opportunity to take videos and pictures for Instagram and other social media.
Considering this, many people dress to impress at a UFC fight and wear their best clothes. For men, this is often suits, tuxedos, or their best-buttoned shirt paired with jeans or smart trousers and shoes. For women, it’s often their most glamorous dress paired with heels or shoes and plenty of jewelry.
However, you don’t need to dress smart or worry about how you look, no matter what others may tell you. Most fans at a UFC event are either high or drunk, or both, and don’t care what the people around them are wearing.
Everyone’s focused on seeing the highest-quality MMA fights globally, and when the crowd is ecstatically cheering Tai Tuivasa drinking beer out of a random fan’s shoe, you realize how unimportant what you wear to a UFC event is.
For these reasons, dress casually if you want to be your most comfortable. Maybe this means wearing shorts, a vest, and trainers (both men and women).
Don’t forget, UFC events are roughly 6 hours on average, and if you’re a person who likes to cheer and get involved, you’ll want to wear light and breezy clothing to avoid sweating. UFC events are also packed and crowded, so you’ll want to be wearing something you can easily move around in.
Especially for women, if you’re not partying after it’s best to avoid wearing high heels. Wearing uncomfortable footwear for 6 hours and having to stand in lines and walk around the venue isn’t a fun experience.
3. Where Are You Sitting in the Arena?
The seating at UFC events is categorized into three areas:
- Lower floor seating – including ringside and VIP seats
- Middle tier
- Upper tier
Typically, if you pay the big bucks you can get UFC tickets for the lower floor seating which are the seating sections closest to the octagon. This section also includes VIP seats, meaning fans can be seated very close to celebrities and fighters who have reserved seats for the event.
Therefore, the majority of people sitting in the lower floor seating area are dressed to the nines. So, if you have tickets to sit in this area, you’ll likely want to dress as smart as possible. For men, this may be a tuxedo or suit, and for women, an elegant dress.
However, for those who’ve mastered the art of not giving a f***, they may choose to wear casual clothing even if they’re going to be sat next to Paris Hilton.
Also, sitting near celebrities might be a good time to wear something out of the ordinary to get yourself on TV or make for a great photo. Maybe you could wear a UFC shirt or hoodie, a jumper with a funny design, or bright multi-colored clothing – the choice is yours.
Remember to avoid offensive language or imagery on clothing though, as UFC events are attended by families and young children.
For fans with seats in the middle and upper tiers, casual wear is mostly worn because there’s less pressure to dress up and more focus on what matters, the fights and having fun.
4. What Arena Is Hosting the UFC Event?
If you’re still undecided on what to wear to a UFC fight, you may also consider the UFC venue and country hosting the event.
UFC venues with larger capacities and attendance are more likely to get loud and hot in temperature. With a larger attendance, you’ll also likely be moving more as people in your row are in and out to the toilet or the bar, and going outside to smoke, among other reasons.
Larger UFC venues with more people also tend to be slightly warmer as the air conditioning has to cover a larger area.
You may also consider the city or country the UFC event is taking place. If it’s in a very hot American state or a hot country such as the United Arab Emirates where Fight Island took place, it’s advisable to avoid tight clothing and too many layers so you don’t sweat on the way to the event.
For these reasons, you’ll want to wear casual and comfortable clothing you can easily move around in and also stay cool.
Having said that, it’s also a good idea to bring a hoodie, jacket, or other outerwear to any event location (especially cold locations) just in case you get chilly. Not all UFC venues are very hot and some can get cold, especially if you stay seated for long periods of time.
On the other hand, you might also consider the UFC event you’re going to. If it’s your first UFC event and it’s a huge PPV with two or three title fights, you’ll likely want to dress up, go berserk during the event, and then paint the town red afterward.
The Bottom Line
So, ‘what to wear to a UFC fight/event?’
UFC events don’t have a dress code, so you can wear to a UFC fight/event whatever you like. However, there are four main questions fans should consider before deciding what to wear to a UFC fight/event.
The majority of fans at UFC events wear casual clothing because they’re there to enjoy themselves and not overthink what they’re wearing. They also want to be comfortable and to remain cool and able to easily move around.
Casual wear is different for everyone, but most fans (men and women) wear jeans, a t-shirt, and trainers to a UFC event.
Fans may wear smart clothes to a UFC fight if they’re partying after the event, they want to maximize their appearance (because why not), they’re sitting closer to the UFC octagon as they’ll be with celebrities and potentially broadcast to millions, and it’s either their first UFC event or it’s a huge PPV.
