Yes in the sense that there was planning before hand.

No in the sense that the entire thing was mapped out and we knew what was going to happen to whom.

There's a lot about gladiatorial fights that have entered the common media that don't really cut the muster. Gladiators, for example, did not always or in some cases usually fight to the death. Just to add to the spectacle while still maintaining a degree of security, they were not the slim or athletic looking figures you expect, but were usually strong, corpulent men with plenty of fat as cushioning. When the skin was cut, blood would spray, nothing was damaged, everyone was happy.

But the Gladiator fights themselves were not usually the novelty of gore, but the "prize fights", the highly talented individuals that would battle against one another in matched pairs, typically surrounded by the more terrifying and macabre orgies of blood you're probably thinking of. Arenas and later the Colosseum were sights of prisoner executions for capital crimes and the like, where animals would be released on the hapless, waiting, sometimes armed sometimes not.

More often than not Gladiators fought in pairs to play off of the individual "type's" strength and weakness. This guaranteed a showcase of skill and was considered to be the most interesting to watch. Of the known Gladiator types there were:

There was the Samnite, with his one leg guard, gladius, a tower shield, and capped with a plumed helmet. They were named for the conquered Samnite people and for a long while the word "Samnite" became synonymous with gladiator.

There was the Retiarius, meaning "net man", jokingly referred to as the fisherman. He had a net, dagger, and spear as his only defense, but was otherwise naked or near it.

There was the Mirmillo, whose name translates to "the fish" because he had a fish shaped ornament atop his helmet. They were oblong shields, were well armored on their right side, and wielded a gladius.

Then we have the Beastiarius, who specializes in capturing and fighting animals, as his name might imply.

The Thracian was the visual model you expect when you think Gladiator. Bare chested, greaves, oval shield, short sword, thick metal helmet. He was most often matched up against the Mirmillo.

Finally there was the Secutore. Designed almost exclusively to fight the Retiarius, he was armed and equipped much like the Mirmillo, except his helmet was even more heavily covering of his face. In fact, the only view from the helmet were short small eye holes - like the Mirmillo, he was given a rectangular or round shield, and had a short gladius. The helmet, as a matter of importance, was designed to be round and smooth, rather than rigid with corners, that way the retiarius's net would have a hard time latching on.

I'm not trying to downplay the violence and chance for death in the arena, but when you think of the Gladiators you have to realize that they were skilled, prized investments that one did not want to just throw out easily unless there was some financial incentive. Plenty of them died out there in the sand, but plenty of them recovered from their wounds and went on to have magnificent careers.