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MMA Scorecard Calculator

Add up the judges' scorecards for a three- or five-round MMA fight and see the decision, including 10-8 rounds and point deductions.

Level: Grade 2

  • Common Core standard 2.NBT.B.5Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Printable worksheet

MMA Scorecard Calculator

Inputs

A name for the label only; it never changes the score. Blank shows "Red corner".

A name for the label only; it never changes the score. Blank shows "Blue corner".

Judges

One score per round (up to 5), red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7, E for 10-10.

One score per round (up to 5), red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7, E for 10-10.

One score per round (up to 5), red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7, E for 10-10.

Total for the fight; it comes off every judge's card.

Total for the fight; it comes off every judge's card.

Result

Result

Red corner wins by majority decision

Red corner wins by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28).

Judge 1 (Red corner–Blue corner)
29-28For Red corner
Judge 2 (Red corner–Blue corner)
29-28For Red corner
Judge 3 (Red corner–Blue corner)
28-28Even card
Cards for Red corner / Blue corner / even
2 / 0 / 1
Rounds scored
3
Rounds scored 10-8 or wider (all cards)
1
Even 10-10 rounds (all cards)
0

See the step-by-step solution ↓

Round-by-round scores (Red corner first)
Round-by-round scores (Red corner first)
RoundJudge 1Judge 2Judge 3
110-910-910-9
29-109-108-10
310-910-910-9
Rounds total29-2829-2828-28
Deductions−0 / −0−0 / −0−0 / −0
Final card29-2829-2828-28

Step-by-step solution

  1. Judge 1: add Red corner's 3 round scores

    10+9+10=29

  2. Judge 1: add Blue corner's 3 round scores

    9+10+9=28

  3. Judge 2: add Red corner's 3 round scores

    10+9+10=29

  4. Judge 2: add Blue corner's 3 round scores

    9+10+9=28

  5. Judge 3: add Red corner's 3 round scores

    10+8+10=28

  6. Judge 3: add Blue corner's 3 round scores

    9+10+9=28

  7. Compare each card (Red corner first) and count them: 2 for Red corner, 0 for Blue corner, 1 even

    29-28, 29-28, 28-28: Red corner wins by majority decision

Test yourself

20 quick questions built from this calculator's formula: work out results, predict what happens when an input changes, and work backward from an answer. Every answer comes with the working.

What this calculator does

Add up the judges' scorecards for an MMA fight and see who wins, and by what kind of decision. When a mixed martial arts fight goes the full distance, three judges decide it. They use the 10-point must system from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. That means the judge must give the round's winner 10 points, and 9 or fewer to the loser. Each round is scored on its own. A close round is 10-9, a round won by a large margin is 10-8, and an overwhelming one is 10-7. The three cards are compared at the end. Most fights are only three rounds, so a single 10-8 round often decides the fight.

Enter the scores for a three-round or five-round fight. The calculator totals each judge's card and takes off any point deductions. It lays the rounds out in a grid and names the result. That's a unanimous, split or majority decision, or a unanimous, split or majority draw. You can also use a single card to score a fight yourself, and see how a 10-8 changes the picture.

Where it's used

Why this math matters outside the classroom:

  • Scoring a fight night. Fans keep their own cards for each bout and add 10 + 9 + 10 = 29 against 9 + 10 + 9 = 28 to see who they had winning.
  • Debating a close decision. Viewers rescore a disputed fight to see that one 10-8 round turns a 29-28 card into 28-28.
  • Amateur MMA events. Volunteer judges at regional amateur shows total their round scores at the end of each three-round bout before handing in the card.
  • Coaching after a loss. A coach reviews the round-by-round cards with a fighter to show which round's margin cost the decision.
  • Fantasy picks. Friends in a fight-picks group check whether a predicted decision was unanimous, split or majority by comparing the three cards.

Grade level and standards: Grade 2; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 2.NBT.B.5. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

How to use it

  1. If you like, enter the fighters' names in place of Red corner and Blue corner. They only label the results.
  2. Choose three judges, or one card to keep your own score.
  3. Type each judge's rounds in order, red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand works too: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7 and E for 10-10 (even).
  4. Enter any points taken away for fouls. Then read the decision, the three cards and the round grid.

What the inputs mean

Red corner
A name for the label only; it never changes the score. Blank shows "Red corner".
Blue corner
A name for the label only; it never changes the score. Blank shows "Blue corner".
Judges
Three judges is the official format. One card scores the fight from a single point of view. It gives a win or a draw.
Judge 1, round by round
Up to five rounds, separated by spaces or commas. A + adds one point to the winning margin, so B+ is a 10-8 round for blue. The Unified Rules don't use 10-6, so the calculator won't accept it.
Judge 2, round by round
One score per round (up to 5), red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7, E for 10-10.
Judge 3, round by round
One score per round (up to 5), red first: 10-9, 9-10, 10-8, 10-7 or 10-10. Shorthand: R or B for 10-9, R+ for 10-8, R++ for 10-7, E for 10-10.
Points deducted from red
Total points taken away for fouls, such as strikes to the groin or grabbing the fence. A deduction comes off every judge's card.
Points deducted from blue
Total for the fight; it comes off every judge's card.

Formula and method

round: 10-10, 10-9, 10-8 or 10-7
card total = sum of the round scores − points deducted
3-0 = unanimous, 2-1 = split, 2-0 with 1 even = majority decision
1-1 with 1 even = split draw; 1 with 2 even = majority draw; 3 even = unanimous draw

Each judge's card total is the round scores added up, minus any points taken away. In the decision lines, 3-0 means all three cards favor one fighter. 2-1 means two cards favor one fighter and one favors the other. "Even" means a tied card.

The Unified Rules tell judges to look first at effective striking and grappling. That means legal strikes, takedowns, submission attempts and positions that have an impact. Effective aggressiveness is a backup, used only when that's completely even. Control of the fighting area is used only when everything else is even. A 10-9 round is the most common score. A 10-10 round should be extremely rare.

A 10-8 round needs a large margin. The rules give judges three things to weigh. Impact means visible damage, or a fighter who is clearly less able to fight. Dominance means the loser was forced to defend with no counters, or the winner attacked from dominant positions. Duration is how long that control lasted. A 10-7 is an overwhelming round, where the judge could see the fight being stopped.

Each card is then a vote for one fighter, or a draw. In a three-round fight, a 10-8 round equals the 10-9 margins of the other two rounds. So a judge who gives a fighter one 10-8 round, and gives the other two rounds 10-9 to the opponent, ends up with an even 28-28 card.

Worked example

A three-round fight between two made-up fighters. Red takes rounds 1 and 3 on every card. Blue wins round 2 clearly, and judge 3 scores it 10-8. The cards are typed R B R, R B R and R B+ R.

  1. Judges 1 and 2: red 10 + 9 + 10 = 29, blue 9 + 10 + 9 = 28, so 29-28 for red.
  2. Judge 3: red 10 + 8 + 10 = 28, blue 9 + 10 + 9 = 28, an even card.
  3. Two cards for red and one even card is a majority decision.
  4. If red had lost a point for a foul, the cards would be 28-28, 28-28 and 27-28. That's two even cards and one for blue, a majority draw.

Result: Red corner wins by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28).

Understanding the result

A majority or split decision means at least one judge saw the fight differently. The round grid shows exactly which rounds the judges disagreed on. That's usually where the arguments after a fight come from.

Keep an eye on the number of 10-8 rounds. In a three-round fight, one 10-8 can cancel out two lost rounds. So a fighter who loses two close rounds and wins one big round can still get an even card, or even win it.

Assumptions and limitations

  • The 10-point must system and round scores of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, as published by the Association of Boxing Commissions.
  • Three judges, three or five rounds, and deductions taken off every card.
  • If the judges score a round that wasn't finished, you enter it like any other round, as the Unified Rules allow.
  • Fights that end by knockout, technical knockout or submission don't go to the cards. They need no scorecard.
  • The calculator doesn't decide who won a round. The judges apply the judging criteria, and official results come from the athletic commission.
  • It doesn't cover promotions with their own scoring systems, such as formats without rounds or with running points.

Frequently asked questions

What makes an MMA round 10-8?

Under the Unified Rules, a 10-8 means one fighter won the round by a large margin. Judges weigh impact, dominance and duration. Say a fighter dominated, kept that control for a meaningful part of the round and hurt the opponent. Then the rules say the judge should give a 10-8.

Is a 10-10 round allowed in MMA?

Yes, but the rules call it extremely rare. They say a judge shouldn't use it just because they can't decide. It exists mainly for rounds that are cut short. Any difference a judge can see between the fighters should produce a 10-9.

How many rounds does an MMA fight have?

Most fights are three 5-minute rounds. Championship fights (and some main events) are five 5-minute rounds. The calculator accepts up to five rounds per card.

Why can a fighter win more rounds and still not win the fight?

Because a 10-8 round is worth two points. Say a fighter wins two rounds 10-9 and loses one 8-10. That card is 28-28, an even card, even though they won more rounds.

Sources

How this calculator is checked

Method: 10-point must system and round-scoring guidance (10-10, 10-9, 10-8, 10-7) from the Association of Boxing Commissions' Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts; standard decision terminology applied to three cards. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.

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