UFC Finish Rate by Weight Class: KO and Submission Data
UFC finish rate by weight class, based on 5,429 bouts. Light heavyweight leads since 2016 at 63.6%, with every division's KO and submission share.
Quick answer
The UFC finish rate by weight class is highest at light heavyweight since 2016: 63.6% through October 22, 2026. Women's strawweight is lowest at 33.3%, while heavyweight leads the full UFC history in AgentMMA's database at 66.1%. A finish means a KO/TKO or submission, so the tables show both parts rather than hiding different styles inside one total.
Data snapshot: AgentMMA analysis of 5,429 UFC bouts since 2016 across 12 divisions; full database date range 1994-03-11 to 2026-10-17 (computed 2026-10-22)
UFC finish rate by weight class, 2016-2026
Finish rate by UFC weight class, 2016-2026
| Division | Bouts | KO/TKO | Submission | Decision | Finish rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 414 | 46.4% | 13.0% | 37.9% | 59.4% |
| Light Heavyweight | 412 | 46.6% | 17.0% | 34.7% | 63.6% |
| Middleweight | 624 | 38.8% | 17.9% | 41.7% | 56.7% |
| Welterweight | 728 | 34.2% | 16.2% | 48.4% | 50.4% |
| Lightweight | 760 | 35.1% | 18.0% | 46.1% | 53.2% |
| Featherweight | 625 | 30.9% | 15.8% | 52.8% | 46.7% |
| Bantamweight | 596 | 26.8% | 17.6% | 53.9% | 44.5% |
| Flyweight | 327 | 23.9% | 22.6% | 52.6% | 46.5% |
| Women's Featherweight | 29 | 24.1% | 17.2% | 58.6% | 41.4% |
| Women's Bantamweight | 201 | 19.4% | 17.4% | 62.7% | 36.8% |
| Women's Flyweight | 285 | 16.8% | 19.6% | 63.5% | 36.5% |
| Women's Strawweight | 345 | 15.1% | 18.3% | 66.1% | 33.3% |
Finish rate is the KO/TKO share plus the submission share. Light heavyweight leads this modern window because it combines a 46.6% KO/TKO rate with 17.0% submissions. Heavyweight has almost the same knockout share, but fewer submissions. Treat women's featherweight with more caution because its row contains only 29 bouts.
Which UFC weight class has the highest all-time finish rate?
Finish rate by UFC weight class, all UFC bouts
| Division | Bouts | KO/TKO | Submission | Decision | Finish rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 787 | 52.0% | 14.1% | 32.1% | 66.1% |
| Light Heavyweight | 773 | 45.0% | 17.1% | 35.8% | 62.1% |
| Middleweight | 1,165 | 38.1% | 20.9% | 39.5% | 59.1% |
| Welterweight | 1,408 | 33.5% | 18.2% | 47.1% | 51.7% |
| Lightweight | 1,476 | 30.3% | 21.6% | 47.1% | 51.9% |
| Featherweight | 886 | 29.9% | 16.6% | 52.5% | 46.5% |
| Bantamweight | 805 | 26.1% | 19.8% | 52.0% | 45.8% |
| Flyweight | 432 | 23.8% | 21.5% | 53.7% | 45.4% |
| Women's Featherweight | 29 | 24.1% | 17.2% | 58.6% | 41.4% |
| Women's Bantamweight | 253 | 21.7% | 17.4% | 60.1% | 39.1% |
| Women's Flyweight | 285 | 16.8% | 19.6% | 63.5% | 36.5% |
| Women's Strawweight | 382 | 14.4% | 19.6% | 65.4% | 34.0% |
Heavyweight leads the all-time table at 66.1%, ahead of light heavyweight at 62.1%. The order changes with bouts since 2016 because a division's long-run rate also reflects the eras it spans. The all-time figures answer a history question, while the first table better describes the recent UFC.
How this list is counted
AgentMMA counts each bout once under its listed UFC division; interim title fights stay in their normal division. Catchweight, openweight and tournament bouts are left out, since they do not fit one of these 12 rows.
A finish is either KO/TKO or submission, with doctor stoppages included under KO/TKO. Decision combines unanimous, split and majority decisions. Disqualifications, no-contests and overturned results sit outside those groups, so some rows add to less than 100%.
The period tables require at least 25 bouts, so a tiny group does not sit beside divisions with hundreds of results. Women's featherweight clears the line with 29 bouts, but you should still read that rate as less settled than lightweight's rate from 760 bouts.
Other sites can show different figures without either table containing a calculation error. FightIQ's October 14 snapshot reports heavyweight at 67% over 766 bouts, versus AgentMMA's 66.1% over 787. FightIQ excludes draws, no-contests and overturned results, and its snapshot ends earlier. AgentMMA follows UFC Stats results stored in its own database and keeps an overturned result as a no-contest. Fight Matrix also uses different division totals, so its denominator is not AgentMMA's denominator.
The UFC Record Book answers another question by ranking individual fighters with metric-specific minimums. This page compares divisions, counts bouts, and applies the same finish definition to every row.
Notable names on the list
This table contains division names, not a fighter leaderboard; these entries best show how UFC fights end.
Light Heavyweight: the modern leader
Light heavyweight finishes 63.6% of bouts since 2016 across 412 fights. Its 46.6% KO/TKO share is the table's highest, and submissions add 17.0%. That does not make every light heavyweight a finisher; it describes the division's full outcome mix.
Heavyweight: the all-time leader
Heavyweight owns the highest all-time finish rate at 66.1% across 787 bouts. KO/TKO alone accounts for 52.0%, the only all-time knockout share above half. Since 2016, its finish rate is lower at 59.4%, because era changes the answer.
Flyweight: a different route to finishes
Flyweight has the highest submission percentage in the modern table at 22.6%. Its KO/TKO rate is 23.9%, giving it a 46.5% finish rate overall. That sits close to featherweight's 46.7%, but the two divisions get there through different result mixes.
Women's Strawweight: the strongest decision lean
Women's strawweight has the lowest modern finish rate, 33.3%, across 345 bouts. Decisions account for 66.1%, but that does not measure fight quality or skill; it only shows how often bouts reach the scorecards.
Women's Featherweight: the smallest base
Women's featherweight has 29 bouts in both tables and a 41.4% finish rate. It meets the 25-bout floor, but one new result carries more weight here than in any other row. Use the percentage, and keep the bout count beside it.
Related AgentMMA pages
- Most finishes
- Highest finish rate
- Do heavier UFC fighters get more knockouts?
- How often do UFC fights go to decision?
- Which UFC round has the most finishes?
How solid is this data?
The analysis covers 5,429 UFC bouts across 12 divisions, using UFC Stats-derived results and round-by-round data stored by AgentMMA. The latest included event date is October 17, 2026, and AgentMMA computed this snapshot on October 22, 2026.
Only UFC bouts count, although a fighter's professional record can include wins and losses from other promotions. Those fights never enter these rates. Results follow UFC Stats as stored in the database; an overturned result counts as a no-contest.
These numbers describe outcomes; they do not prove why a division finishes more often. Weight class overlaps with era, roster depth, matchmaking and the kinds of fighters each division attracts. You cannot isolate body weight as the cause from this table alone.
This maintained record page will refresh when new UFC results change the underlying counts or percentages. Until then, October 22, 2026 is the correct as-of date.
FAQ
Which UFC weight class has the highest finish rate?
Since 2016, light heavyweight leads at 63.6% across 412 bouts; across all UFC bouts, heavyweight leads at 66.1% across 787.
What is the UFC knockout percentage by weight class?
Since 2016, KO/TKO rates run from 46.6% at light heavyweight to 15.1% at women's strawweight. The first table gives the percentage and bout count for all 12 divisions.
What is the UFC submission percentage by weight class?
Since 2016, flyweight has the highest submission share at 22.6%, while heavyweight has the lowest at 13.0%. Submission rate is shown separately from KO/TKO, then both form the finish rate.
Which UFC division has the lowest finish rate?
Women's strawweight is lowest since 2016 at 33.3%, with 66.1% of its bouts ending by decision in AgentMMA's data.
What counts as a finish in UFC statistics?
This page counts KO, TKO, doctor stoppage and submission as finishes; decisions, disqualifications, no-contests and overturned results are not.
Why don't every row's percentages add to 100%?
KO/TKO, submission and decision do not cover every stored result; disqualifications, no-contests and overturned results make up the small remainder.
Sources & further reading
The data and published sources behind this article.
- UFC Record Book (statleaders.ufc.com)
- FightIQ: UFC finish rate by weight class (fightiq.net)
- Fight Matrix: UFC fight outcomes by weight class (www.fightmatrix.com)
Put the data to work
Compare any two fighters head-to-head, or see what our AI predicts for upcoming UFC fights.
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