How judges score a fight

Each judge scores each round on its own. The fighter who won the round must get 10 points; the other gets fewer.

• 10-9: a clear but close round. Most rounds are 10-9.
• 10-8: one fighter dominated, with real damage or control for much of the round.
• 10-7: total domination. Very rare.
• 10-10: truly even. Rare too; judges are asked to pick a winner whenever they can.

At the end, each judge adds up their rounds. A three-round fight might be 29-28 or 30-27 on one card.

1. Effective striking and grappling. Strikes and grappling that have an impact: damage, near-finishes, takedowns and positions that lead somewhere. Impact beats volume.
2. Effective aggressiveness. Pushing forward to finish the fight, not just walking forward. Judges only use this if the first is even.
3. Fighting area control. Who dictated where and how the fight happened. Only if the first two are even.

For a 10-8, judges weigh three things: impact (damage), dominance (one fighter forced to defend) and duration (how much of the round it lasted).

Score this three-round fight, round by round. After each pick you'll see how most judges would score it, and why.

Once each judge has added up their card, the cards are compared. Set who each judge has winning and see what the announcer would read out.