Mixed-martial arts fighters workout using compound and total body movements that uses the ENTIRE body and core at the same time as opposed to isolation exercises that do not really create that much of an afterburn.

The goal of bodybuilders is to develop a muscular(very bulky) physique so that you can see their muscles 'pop' clearly while they're on a show or competition. That's why they do so many sets of different variations of isolation exercises such as bicep curls, delt raises, leg presses and the like.

MMA workouts are designed to improve performance in athletic, not isolated movements. For starters, compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and benchpress are essential for any fighter.  Contrary to the typical bodybuilder, our goal is to achieve that lean, cut, shredded 'athletic' look with the horsepower to back it up as opposed to looking like 'Mr. Universe' limited to the purpose of aesthetics.  

As fighters, they need even more challenging exercises because of the random and dangerous situations they find themselves in. So exercises that force them to balance the body, hold the core stable, and develop strength are a major factor in not only their performance, but their physical appearance.

Photo courtesy of UFCMEDIA.COM.  Rich Franklin(above) UFC Veteran and former UFC Middleweight Champion looking lean and mean.

MMA skills training like boxing, plyometrics, grappling, and other forms of high intensity activity contributes to developing the lean, athletic, and ripped look.  You've probably observed that MMA fighters and boxers have absolutely chiseled arms and shoulders.  The 'ideal fighter's body' if you will.

It's not because they spend hours doing countless repetitions of shoulder presses and bicep curls. As stated above, they barely do these types of exercises at all.  If you're one of those people doing too many of these exercises,  please do yourself a favor and stop.  You'll not only get slower, but you'll also start to have that 'hulk' look where you can't even scratch your own back nor touch your elbows together.

The real reason why fighters have arms that are so cut is because of the punches they throw, over and over and the various compound movements that they do that tone their arm muscles and at the same time burn overall body fat.  They don't have to do bicep curls or tricep extensions all day.

You just discovered that fighters don't do 'chest and bicep' workouts and other waste of time isolation exercises. What they actually do are routines based on major movement patterns such as:

1. Lunges
2. Squats
3. Bends
4. Push
5. Pulls
6. Twists
7. Core stability

When you create your program around movement patterns, you not only have more effective fat-burning workouts, you also have more efficient workouts.

That's because all the basic movement patterns work many different muscle groups at once, unlike traditional machine-based exercises like leg extensions (which will hurt your knees in the long run). So when you do these workouts, you turn your metabolism up to incinerate and blast away unwanted fat!

Following the tips above should give you an idea already on how to create your own(if you don't have one yet) or restructure your program to getting that lean, shredded athletic look.  Good training!