Many fans cringe at the thought of an MMA fight finishing without a winner. Saturday's epic heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva may be an exception.
The two heavyweights fought tooth and nail for five rounds and when the dust settled, the verdict was a majority draw. In this case, the draw was due largely to two judges awarding Hunt a 10-8 score in the final round.
This was the sixth majority draw in the modern era of the UFC and twelfth draw in total. Interestingly, 3 of the 6 majority draws have been held in Australia - a country where the UFC has only held five events.
If all rounds are scored 10-9 in any fight, and there are no point deductions, a draw is impossible because of the odd number of rounds. With that in mind, the following table illustrates the primary cause behind each of the twelve draws in modern-UFC history.
Causes of Modern-Era UFC Draws * |
Date |
Event |
Fight |
Draw Type |
Cause |
Feb 28, 2003 | UFC 41 | BJ Penn vs. C. Uno | Split | 10-10 round |
Jun 6, 2003 | UFC 43 | V. White vs. I. Freeman | Split | 10-10 round |
Jul 7, 2007 | UFC 73 | R. Evans vs. T. Ortiz | Unanimous | Point Deduction |
Nov 21, 2009 | UFC 106 | C. Uno vs. F. Camões | Majority | Point Deduction |
Jan 11, 2010 | UFN 20 | T. Tavares vs. N. Lentz | Majority | Point Deduction |
Oct 16, 2010 | UFC 120 | T. Browne vs. C. Kongo | Unanimous | Point Deduction |
Dec 11, 2010 | UFC 124 | R. Natal vs. J. Bongfeldt | Majority | 10-8 rounds |
Jan 1, 2011 | UFC 125 | F. Edgar vs. G. Maynard | Split | 10-8 round |
Feb 27, 2011 | UFC 127 | J. Fitch vs. BJ Penn | Majority | 10-8 rounds |
Mar 3, 2012 | UFC on FX 2 | D. Johnson vs. I. McCall | Majority | 10-8 & 10-10 rounds |
Jun 23, 2012 | UFC 147 | F. Arantes vs. M. Vieira | Split | 10-8 round |
Dec 7, 2013 | UFN 33 | A. Silva vs. M. Hunt | Majority | 10-8 rounds |
* - As of December 8th, 2013
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Notes
- Caol Uno and BJ Penn have both been involved in two UFC draws.
- Ken Shamrock fought to two time-limit draws in SEG-era UFC fights.
- There was only 1 UFC draw between June 6, 2003 and November 20, 2009.
- 25% of draws have occurred in 5-round fights.
- A 10-10 round hasn't been the sole cause of a draw since White/Freeman on June 6, 2003.
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