What is the trademarked name of the UFC fighting cage?

The trademarked name of the UFC fighting cage is The Octagon. The enclosure has eight sides, and the name became one of the promotion’s most recognizable pieces of branding.

The design was created for the first UFC event in 1993. Promoters wanted something visually distinct from a boxing ring and believed ropes could give grapplers an unfair advantage or allow fighters to fall out. Designer Jason Cusson developed an eight-sided, chain-link enclosure that surrounded the fighting surface.

The structure is officially called “The Octagon,” while other MMA promotions may use octagonal cages without using that protected name. The UFC’s standard cage is about 30 feet in diameter, has a six-foot fence, and sits on a raised platform. Smaller versions, roughly 25 feet across, are also used at some events.

A common mix-up is calling it a hexagon because both shapes are polygonal, or simply calling it “the cage.” The UFC’s enclosure is specifically an octagon, and the branded name distinguishes the promotion’s official structure from generic eight-sided cages used elsewhere.