Fight scorecard: score a boxing or MMA bout round by round

In MMA the ABC’s unified rules describe four round scores: 10–10 when there is no difference between the fighters, 10–9 for a close round, 10–8 for a round won by a large margin through damage, dominance and duration, and 10–7 when one fighter is completely dominated. In boxing the ABC’s judge manual gives 10–9 when one boxer routinely won the round, 10–8 for a knockdown or an extremely decisive round, 10–7 for two knockdowns, and 10–6 or lower for more — the scorecard here goes down to 10–6. Deductions are made by the referee and marked next to the round score on every judge’s card.

A fighter needs a majority of the cards. Nevada’s boxing regulation says the same thing directly: “The majority opinion is conclusive and, if there is no majority, the decision is a draw.”

The ABC’s boxing judge manual warns against making close fights look closer than they were: if one boxer wins every round by the slimmest of margins, “your championship score could read 120-108”. Twelve rounds of 10–9 through the same code: 120–108, a unanimous decision.

Now an illustrative three-round MMA bout — not a real fight, and the calculator’s starting cards. Judge 1 gives red rounds one and three, judge 2 gives red the first two, and judge 3 gives blue the first two, every round scored 10–9:

Without deductions red wins by split decision. Take one point from red in the last round and two cards become level: the bout is a majority draw. Because a deduction comes off every card at once, a single point can change the result of a close fight.

The scorecard assumes the bout went the distance. When a bout is stopped by an injury from an accidental foul, the cards can still decide it as a technical decision: in MMA under the ABC’s unified rules once two of three, or three of five, scheduled rounds are complete, and in boxing under the ABC’s rules after four completed rounds. The partial round is scored too. Stopped earlier, the MMA rules give a no contest or a disqualification, and the boxing rules a no decision.

• Judge the rounds. It adds up the scores you give; deciding who won a round is the judges’ job, under the criteria above.
• Every commission’s variations. The ABC’s judge manual notes that the scoring of penalty points can vary from commission to commission.
• Real bouts. It holds no fighters, events or official cards.

The guide to boxing scoring covers what judges weigh in a round, and how MMA judging criteria work explains why three judges can see the same round differently.