UFC Scoring System: How Are UFC Fights Scored?
The ten-point must system, round scores, and decision results, with links to the rules and historical reporting.
UFC rounds are scored individually using the ten-point must system: the round winner receives 10, the opponent 9 or fewer, before penalties. The ABC specifies at least three judges. [1]
Rules scope: this guide uses the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) judging clarification and Unified Rules documents published in 2025. Check the event regulator's adopted rules when assessing a particular bout.
What judges evaluate
Effective striking and grappling decide rounds. Damage means reducing an opponent's ability or willingness to compete; immediate damage takes priority over cumulative damage. Dominance involves sustained effective offense, rather than holding position alone. Duration measures how long effective techniques impose damage or dominance. [1]
If neither fighter has even a marginal advantage in effective striking or grappling, the 2025 clarification directs judges to aggressiveness or fighting area control, whichever mattered more. Defense alone earns no points. [1]
10-9, 10-8, 10-7 and 10-10 rounds
| Score | Meaning before deductions |
|---|---|
| 10-9 | An advantage in offensive effectiveness. |
| 10-8 | Significant damage can suffice alone. Significant dominance with some damage and little opposing offense may also suffice; control without damage does not. |
| 10-7 | Overwhelming damage and domination throughout the round. |
| 10-10 | No established advantage; generally reserved for partial rounds. The clarification discourages this score for completed rounds. |
How rare are 10-7 rounds in UFC history?
A Sportsmanor report covering UFC 297 in January 2024 listed five fighters who had received a 10-7 round: Forrest Petz, Josh Emmett, Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria and Jasmine Jasudavicius. That list is a dated journalistic claim, rather than a complete scorecard census. [3]
The list omits Rick Glenn's third round against Gavin Tucker at UFC 215, which Dave Doyle reported as a 10-7 in September 2017. This discrepancy means those reports do not establish an all-time total of five. [4]
| Bout | Event / year | Reported score |
|---|---|---|
| Rick Glenn vs. Gavin Tucker | UFC 215, 2017 | Round 3: 10-7 Glenn. [4] |
| Ilia Topuria vs. Josh Emmett | UFC Jacksonville, 2023 | Chris Lee scored Round 4: 10-7 Topuria. [3] |
| Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Priscila Cachoeira | UFC 297, 2024 | Sal D'Amato scored Round 2: 10-7 Jasudavicius. [3] |
These examples concern an individual judge's round score. They do not mean all three judges agreed, or that the entire fight ended by decision. A score reduced to 10-7 by a foul deduction should also be distinguished from a 10-7 awarded for the action itself.
Adding up a scorecard
These hypothetical examples show the arithmetic on one judge's card; they are not historical fight results. Scores are written with Fighter A first.
- 29-28 A: A wins the first two rounds 10-9, then loses the third 9-10. A has 10 + 10 + 9 = 29; B has 9 + 9 + 10 = 28.
- 28-28: A wins two rounds 10-9 but loses the third 8-10. Each fighter totals 28.
- 27-28 B after a deduction: Starting from the 28-28 example, a one-point penalty against A reduces A's total to 27.
Unanimous, split and majority results
The Unified Rules classify results by the judges' verdicts. [2]
| Result | Judges' verdicts |
|---|---|
| Unanimous decision | A / A / A |
| Split decision | A / A / B |
| Majority decision | A / A / Draw |
| Unanimous draw | Draw / Draw / Draw |
| Majority draw | Draw / Draw / A |
| Split draw | A / B / Draw |
Point deductions and referee stoppages
The referee assesses fouls and penalties and has sole authority to stop the contest. A deduction adjusts the judged score. Stopping a fighter who is not intelligently defending produces a TKO; a 10-7 round does not itself end the bout. [2]
Foul-related injury stoppages can produce a disqualification, no contest, technical decision or technical draw, depending on the circumstances and completed rounds. [2]
Rules versions matter
The ABC's August 2025 Unified Rules document records amendments approved on 23 July 2024, with requested implementation in November 2024. Its grounded-fighter definition excludes contact by hands and feet alone. Adoption depends on the event regulator; an ABC publication date does not establish every jurisdiction's implementation date. [2]
Sources
- ABC: MMA Bout Scoring, Judging Criteria Clarification (2025, PDF). Primary source for round scoring; pages 1-3.
- ABC: Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (August 2025, PDF). Primary source for referee authority, fouls and result classifications; pages 1, 4-9.
- Nisarga Aseem Barkule, 10-7 Round in the UFC: Only Five Fighters Have Achieved the Rare Feat, Sportsmanor, coverage of UFC 297 in January 2024. Historical reporting; its list should not be treated as a complete count.
- Dave Doyle, UFC 215 Aftermath: Time to hit reset button on women's 135-lb division, MMA Fighting, 10 September 2017. Contemporary ringside reporting of Glenn vs. Tucker.
Publisher: BoutPredict. This article summarizes the linked rules and reporting. It does not claim endorsement by the ABC or UFC, or an independent expert review.