26-05-2025
Video: UFC fighters describe the painful feeling of mat burn
The UFC's octagon canvas is fantastic for keeping traction, but it's not so great for anything other than the soles of feet.
It's something that wrestlers deal with more than strikers, but the dreaded mat burn comes for all fighters at some point. It's an unavoidable aspect of fighting in the UFC.
"The octagon canvas is crazy, crazy coarse," American Top Team coach Mike Brown told MMA Junkie. "It is like heavy friction. The UFC canvas, you will not slip on anymore. Back in the day, it used to be different material, but what they've done to it now, it is crazy, hardcore, sandpaper friction. So, you will not slip, but your knees and feet are like hamburger at the end. It's like crazy abrasions all over your legs and elbows."
Fighting canvases vary from promotion to promotion, but according to fighters and coaches at ATT, there's nothing worse than the mat burn suffered from the UFC's octagon.
"If there's a hell, that's it," UFC lightweight Grant Dawson said. "Mat burn is worse than any injury I've ever had. It's worse than taking a shin to the face. Showering after when you have mat burn is absolutely terrible." .
Watch the video above to hear Dawson, Dustin Poirier, Thiago Alves, Mateusz Gamrot, Bo Nickal and more discuss dealing with the pain from mat burn.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Fighters explain mat burn pain from UFC octagon canvas
