Anyone who has ever seen Chris Leben fight knows he’s a heavy-fisted slugging machine, and against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, he stayed true to form, much to our. Fights in the UFC are more complicated than boxing matches, and so judges must take more into consideration when scoring a round. They look at how many strikes fighters land, whether a fighter manages to take down his opponent and the fighters' ground technique. Some fighters prefer to practice in short bursts (30-60 seconds), taking a break in between more intense rounds. Others work at lower intensity for 3-5 minutes to simulate an actual MMA fight. Try multiple methods to see what works best for you.

• Men's fights in RIZIN are either two rounds with Round 1 lasting 10 minutes and Round 2 lasting 5 minutes, or 3x5 minute rounds. Championship fights in RIZIN are 3x5 minute rounds, as are all women's MMA matches, and all matches are held in a ring in order to allow for both MMA and kickboxing fights to be held on the same card.
• Different MMA organizations may have different rounds. It is the sole discretion of each MMA promotion to decide whether to have three rounds of fight or five rounds of fight. UFC, for example, decided to have 5 rounds of fight for main event fights regardless of whether it’s a title fight or not.

An MMA fight is scored by three judges. Rounds are judged in their entirety with the winner of each round being awarded 10 points and the loser being awarded 9 or less. If a round is a draw, both fighters will receive 10 points. The winner of the round is determined by the fighters Cage Control, Technique, and Aggressiveness. If no finishes (such as submissions and knockouts) occur before the time runs out of the last round the judges will add up the scores given to both fighters and each judge will declare who they deem to be the winner. If the judges disagree on the winner then the fighter with the majority of judges behind him will win by split decision. If all three judges are in agreement then the fighter will win by unanimous decision.

How is an MMA Fight scored and How Can I Take Advantage of this?

Effective Cage Control

Controlling the pace

One major part of earning points in the effective cage control portion of the scoring is controlling the pace. This means making the other fighter match your pace. Some fighters like to have a very high pace fight that is very intense. Many other fighters prefer to have a slow pace. They fight methodically and carefully.

Getting your opponent to fight your pace is huge in winning the mental game in MMA. When you are in control mentally the opponent begins to react to you. Putting your opponent into your comfort zone can be a huge advantage. This is why this is score so highly in MMA.

Not having back against the cage

If you are constantly pushed back against the cage you will lose points in the cage control portion. If you are using the cage to your advantage by putting your opponent against the fence or in a corner however, you will gain points.

Effective cage control is difficult to explain but much easier to see. You can tell who is owning their space and who is not. This dynamic can switch between fighters during a fight. Keeping in good position and using the cage to help you will keep the ball in your court.

Self-Awareness

Many fighters struggle being self-aware in a fight. Fighters back themselves into a cage (because they did not realize they were so close to it) or stay away from their corner when they are not self-aware in the fight. This is very difficult to master but is a huge advantage when you can become self-aware. When you are aware of your surroundings it is easier to use it to your advantage.

Knowing where the cage is helps you know when to move forward or backwards and when to circle. Being in control of the fight and of the cage can only really be done if you are also being aggressive and using effective technique.

This is why the rounds are not scored by points from individual moves. Each round is taken as a whole and a winner is assigned based on this criteria.

Effective Technique (striking, grappling)

Takedowns

Takedowns are huge in MMA. They do not mean a whole lot if the opponent stands up immediately however. But takedowns are huge because it takes technique and aggressiveness. It also puts you in control of the fight.

Being able to take an opponent down means that you are in control of what is happening. The same is true if you can defend takedowns. Some fighters prefer to fight on the ground while others prefer to fight standing up. Both of these strategies can be great. Being able to stick to the position you want while your opponent wants the opposite is huge in the fight and especially in the eyes of the judges.

This applies to submissions and strikes as well. If your opponent wants to do something and you do not let him you will gain points. Also, if your opponent does not want to do something and you can do it you will also gain points.

Control

Control is huge in MMA. Not only the control of whether to be on the ground or on the feet, but also the effective control in those positions. If you get a take down that is awesome. If you get reversed however, that is not so awesome.

On the ground you need to be able to be in control. Sometimes in Jiu-Jitsu you can be winning and be on the bottom. This is only true in MMA if you get a submission. In MMA if you are on top you are winning and you are in control even if your opponent is doing all of the work.

Also being in control of the striking game can be equally important. If your opponent is throwing more strikes than you but all of yours seem to connect you will be in control. This also includes getting under hooks and putting your opponents back to the cage.

Any knockdowns or effective strikes will also obviously be counted in your favor in the technique department.

Skill

Anything that works will be worth points in the judge’s eyes. Actually, using good technique will impress the judges even more. Slick takedowns, striking combinations, sweeps, escapes, and submission attempts will all frame you as the winner.

Effective Aggressiveness

Moving forward

We have all seen fights where someone is constantly backing up and not engaging. Even if he is a good defensive fighter and lands a few strikes he will not gain much in the eyes of the judges. The Judges (and the fans) want to see action and aggression.

Stalling

How Many Rounds Mma Fights Today

There are plenty of ways to stall in MMA. They are all equally obvious and frowned upon by the judges and the fans. Fighters who are stalling will back away a lot of continue to circle. Another obvious way that fighters stall is continuously throwing fake strikes but never actually engaging. Fake strikes are great if they are used as set ups but they will count against you if you do not use them to advance your position in the fight.

Fighters also will hold someone in a clinch or on the ground to rest or let the time run out. Be careful if you are stalling on the ground to at least pretend like you are working for a submission or trying to throw strikes otherwise you will get docked points quickly.

Fighters that stall and are boring are actually much more likely to get cut from companies rosters as soon as they start losing fights. A fighter that is exciting, however, will be kept around a company longer even if he/she has a worse record because he/she make very exciting fights that people will pay to see.

Advancing position

Advancing position is the opposite of stalling. Advancing position in striking is mixing it up and going for the finish. You can also advance position by getting a takedown, passing guard, getting to the mount position or attempting submissions. Just constantly working to get yourself into a better position will win you the fight as long as you do not get knocked out or submitted.

Scoring/ Rounds/ Title Fights

Amateur Fights

Normal amateur fights are three rounds that are three minutes each with one-minute break times between rounds. Amateur title fights will be five three-minute rounds. If a fight goes to decision the points from each round will be added up and compared.

In a normal amateur fight, a fighter could earn a maximum of 30 points assuming they won all three rounds. This would be 50 points if they won all five rounds in a title fight.

If all three judges have the same fighter scored as the winner, he will win by unanimous decision (even if the judges have awarded differing amounts of points to the fighters. If two judges pick fighter A as the winner and one judge picks fighter B, then fighter A will win by split decision.

Professional Fights

Professional fights are run and judged almost the same as the amateur fights. The two do have slightly different rules. One example of this is the time limit. Normal professional fights are three 5-minute rounds. Professional title fights are five 5-minute rounds.

What Ufc Fights Are 5 Rounds

Other rule changes between amateur and professional fights are the use of elbows and the ability to throw knees to the face. There are a few other rules, many of which depending on the state.

How Many Rounds Mma Fights Against

Conclusion

I have seen so many fighters lose fights that they could have won by not understanding how these fights are scored. I have seen fighters who were on the bottom with their opponent in their guard for three rounds who thought they were in control surprised when they were declared the loser by unanimous decision. I have seen fighters land some big moves in a round and then slack off thinking that was enough to win them the round. Continue to educate yourself and perform for the judges and for the crowd. First we are fighters but second, we are showman.