INTRO: The Octagon Doesn’t Lie… But Judging Does.
Every fight night, your timeline erupts:
“Robbery!”
“Worst judges in MMA!”
“How did they score THAT round?”
Some nights it feels like the judges are scoring a different fight entirely.
And for bettors?
One questionable scorecard can swing a bankroll from profit to pain.
This isn’t just fan frustration—this is a tactical problem inside the world’s biggest fight promotion.
Let’s break down what’s REALLY happening behind those scorecards… and why fighters and bettors keep getting burned.
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SECTION 1: The 10-Point Must System Is Broken by Design
The UFC uses boxing’s outdated scoring model.
That alone tells you everything.
Here’s the truth most fans never hear:
➤ Judges MUST give someone 10 points—even in razor-close rounds.
Meaning:
If both fighters have a competitive round, someone still gets rewarded like they clearly won it.
This creates fake separation in fights that are practically dead even.
➤ “Winning the round” ≠ “Winning the fight.”
A fighter can win two rounds by an inch…
And lose one round by a landslide…
And STILL win the fight.
That’s mathematically backwards but technically correct.
➤ Damage matters… until it doesn’t.
MMA rules say DAMAGE is #1.
But judges often reward:
• Pressure
• Cage control
• “Looking busy”
• A takedown with zero follow-up
Over the actual damage done.
This is where most robberies begin.
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SECTION 2: Why Judges Disagree — The Octagon Isn’t Their Perspective
Fans see the full fight from broadcast angles.
Judges?
They get three glued-down seats with no replay.
That’s it.
Where robberies start:
• Judge #1 sees strikes landing clean
• Judge #2 sees the other fighter’s angle
• Judge #3 can’t see anything against the cage
And all three score a different reality.
When your wallet is on the line, this matters.
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SECTION 3: The REAL Criteria (That Most Fans Never Learn)
The UFC scoring hierarchy is supposed to be:
1️⃣ Effective Striking/Grappling
2️⃣ Effective Aggression
3️⃣ Octagon Control
But here’s how it goes MOST of the time:
Judges ignore #1 and skip straight to #3.
This is why a fighter who simply moves forward can steal a round from someone landing cleaner shots.
Clear examples:
• A fighter lands 12 sharp counters
• Opponent pressures forward with 0 damage
Judge: “Aggression!”
Score: 10-9 pressure fighter.
It’s madness—but this is the reality bettors must adapt to.
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SECTION 4: The Psychology of Bad Scorecards
Judges are human.
Humans have patterns.
And those patterns cost people money.
Common judging biases:
✔ Being influenced by the crowd
✔ Rewarding the fighter who LOOKS stronger
✔ Overvaluing takedowns with no damage
✔ Mistaking blocked punches as clean shots
✔ Being swayed by corner hype between rounds
And the big one…
✔ The “Narrative Bias”
Judges sometimes enter a round believing:
• “This fighter is the better striker.”
• “This fighter is the better grappler.”
• “This guy’s the underdog.”
• “This guy controls pace.”
So when a round is close?
They score based on pre-fight expectation, not what actually happened.
That’s how legends get favorable rounds.
And why newcomers need to do TWICE as much to win the same round.
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SECTION 5: Why This MATTERS for Bettors — The Ugly Truth
If you’re betting the UFC, you’re not just betting fighters.
You’re betting:
• Judge interpretation
• Judge angles
• Judge inconsistency
• Judge bias
• Crowd noise
• Round narratives
• And pure chaos
The #1 betting reality:
A dominant round isn’t worth anything unless the fighter wins the other two.
A fighter can clearly win Round 3…
But lose R1 and R2 by tiny margins…
And the scorecards bury them.
This is why live betting and round-by-round reads are becoming KING.
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SECTION 6: Why Fans Feel “Screwed” More Than Ever
The sport evolves faster than the rulebook.
Fighters today:
• Strike smarter
• Grapple smarter
• Feint more
• Mix ranges
• Hide damage
• Change pace mid-round
Judges?
Most don’t fight.
Most don’t grapple.
Most don’t understand the layers of modern MMA.
The game advanced.
The scoring system didn’t.
Fans feel the gap.
Bettors feel it even harder.
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SECTION 7: So… What Needs to Change?
If the UFC wanted to FIX judging:
➤ Add video replay
➤ Judge from monitors, not fixed seats
➤ Educate fans on criteria BEFORE fights
➤ Require MMA backgrounds to be judges
➤ Add open scoring (controversial, but real solutions are)
➤ Punish repeat bad judges
➤ Promote consistency across events/commissions
Until then?
You’re betting on a system with holes big enough to drive a truck through.
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FINAL WORD: If You Want to Win Money Betting MMA, You MUST Understand the Judges
You can break down tape perfectly…
Pick the perfect fighter…
And STILL lose because three humans saw something different.
That’s not conspiracy.
That’s not rigging.
That’s the imperfect chaos of combat sports.
But if you understand the scoring system deeper than the average bettor?
You gain an edge most people never even think to look for.
And in this game…
Edges win money.
Ready to stop guessing and start winning?
Unlock FIGHTASTIC Picks That Pay and get real fight-night edges straight from the source.
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