Dubai: The UFC championship title belts, like the one which will be wrapped around the waist of the winner of the Khabib-vs-Poirier lightweight fight on Saturday, are made from gold. In fact, two pounds (907 grammes) of the precious metal are required to help decorate the leather belts.
Since the start of 2019, winners of UFC championship bouts have been awarded a UFC legacy Championship Belt,
It is estimated that belts could cost as much as $333,000 (Dh1.22 million) in value.
The UFC also sells replica belts to the public are gold-plated and cost around $1,000.
The finished product is 50 inches long, weighs 5.5lbs. and has 16 solid brass snaps on the hand-embossed and stitched belt. The UFC Championship belt includes a black velvet zippered carrying case to protect if from damage.
Fighters are allowed to keep the belts they have won, even if they lose a title fight.
The gloves
Professional fighters wear 4 ounce (110g) gloves for protection and flexibility. According to the rules, UFC allows gloves between 4-6 ounces. MMA open-fingered gloves are made of high quality leather for durability.
MMA gloves are considered beneficial in order to strengthen not only your knuckles but also your wrist and forearm muscles. The open fingers allow for grappling manoeuvres such as clinch fighting and submissions.
The Octagon
MMA fights take place in an octagon, with mesh fences and padded surfaces protect fighters from falling out. The wide angles prevent fighters from getting stuck in a corner with no way out. Since boxing is fought in a square ring and wrestling in a circle, the Octagon avoids giving any one martial arts discipline the advantage.
The 750 square foot Octagon that the UFC uses measures 9m across and 1.85m high, and is created with both safety and fairness in mind.
