How does the UFC scoring system work?

The UFC scoring system is in place to determine, in the absence of a knockout or submission, the winner of a fight. The UFC scoring criteria have undergone several changes over the years, with its current iteration prioritizing damage above all else.

With it, judges are expected to base their decisions on who won rounds based on the most valuable scoring criteria. But what are the other criteria? In fact, what are the system's inner workings?

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How UFC scoring works

Ideally, every fighter hopes to win their fight via either knockout or submission. A finish prevents judges from potentially handing the decision to the incorrect fighter. However, a finish isn't always possible. Thus, UFC fighters are wary of the three judges who sit cage-side, evaluating their performances.

After 15 minutes for non-main events and/or non-title fights, and 25 minutes after main event and/or title fights, the judges' verdict is required. The scoring system used by the promotion is based on the Unified Rules of MMA, and relies on points, with the fighter with the most points at the end of a bout declared the winner.

This stems from a 10-point system. Each round ought to have a winner, and it is exceedingly rare for rounds to be ruled a draw with a 9-9 score. Thus, close rounds, and indeed most rounds, are scored 10-9, with the winning fighter scoring 10, and the losing fighter scoring 9.

However, truly one-sided examples of domination can lead to 10-8 rounds. This generally requires a knockdown or a fighter being rocked, all while mounting little offense relative to their opponent.

Even more pronounced domination can lead to the almost mythical 10-7, which has only occurred four times in the UFC, with Ilia Topuria's fourth-round domination of Josh Emmett being an example.

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How UFC fights are decided

Judges are instructed to value damage above all else. Unfortunately, this can be occasionally difficult to quantify, as damage isn't always visible, especially in closely-contested bouts with no clear cuts, bruises, blood, knockdowns, etc. But judges often look for strikes that visibly hurt an opponent.

For example, a low kick that merely taps an opponent's leg is considered far less damaging than an overhand right that lands flush, which may or may not knock down, rock, or at the very least cause visible damage. These are often distinguished as 'effective strikes.'

A secondary but still important factor that judges consider is volume: the number of strikes a fighter lands relative to their opponent. A fighter landing more strikes than their opponent is described as 'outstriking' them, which could win them the round unless rocked or knocked down.

But striking is only one facet of MMA. Wrestling and grappling represent the other aspects of the sport. Effective grappling consists of scoring takedowns and securing dominant positions to facilitate the end of a fight. Among this is a manifestation of effective striking.

Effective striking on the mat, popularly known as ground-and-pound, pioneered by Mark Coleman, can be used to deal damage. Submission attempts also factor into effective grappling, as well as enabling the improvement of one's dominant position to one of greater dominance, like top half-guard to full mount.

Last, and to an extent least, in the scoring criteria is octagon control, which consists of controlling the center of the octagon and determining where the striking engagements and grappling sequences occur.

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How judges are selected and the criteria

Contrary to certain conspiracy theories, the UFC doesn't select judges. Instead, it is the athletic commission of whichever American state the promotion is hosting an event in. Alternatively, judges will be appointed by the governing sports body of a country where the UFC holds an event on its international trips.

However, judges must meet certain criteria before being cleared to determine the winners of fights. Among the criteria judges must meet are a minimum of five years of MMA experience, before they can qualify to judge a UFC fight. Another criterion is having respectable knowledge of the sport.

Judges must be educated on the various techniques used in MMA, ranging from different kinds of takedowns to strikes and submissions.

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How is UFC scoring controversial?

Unfortunately, despite the in-depth nature of the UFC scoring system, there have been countless controversial scorecards throughout the promotion's history. Some have even been derided as robberies. This is largely due to how subjective certain scoring factors can be.

Some judges may value octagon control more, or control time on the mat. In other cases, judges could be influenced by the past musings of commentators on older events.

For example, Dominick Cruz has been widely criticized for recently assuming that a cut suffered in round one can influence a round three score if it continues to bleed.

However, how much blood a fighter loses following a wound is not a factor. Thus, controversial scorecards are common, with Derek Cleary being infamous for his poorly-received decisions.