Full List of UFC Draws [COMPLETE RECORD]

From the first bell until the last, a mixed martial arts leaves it all in the cage in the hopes of hearing his name announced as the winner at the end of the fight. However, there are some rare occasions where neither fighter gets the nod. Instead, the judges hand the most disappointing verdict for fight fans and the organization alike: a draw.

Although the sport’s legislator tried their best to prevent such outcome, some circumstances eventually lead to stalemates, even in MMA’s most popular organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

So what are the types of draws that can ensue in MMA? How many draws have occurred in UFC’s history? What happens afterwards? And what about title fights?

We’ll answer it all in the study below.

Can You Draw in UFC?

Yes, there’s always a slim, yet existing possibility that a UFC fight ends in a draw, even if some of the rules of the sport are specifically installed to prevent this undesirable outcome.

For instance, MMA judges must are always encouraged to pick a winner at the end of each round, even when the action is razor-tight. Moreover, all UFC fights are consisted from an odd number of rounds (five in championship bouts and main events, and three for the rest). So with the vast majority of rounds ending 10-9 in favor of one fighter or the other, the math ensures a eventual winner.

However, the issue occurs when one or more rounds end in 10-8. As we mentioned above, the winner of the round usually earns a 10-9 score on the judge’s scorecard. However, the rules state that a dominant round can be scored as 10-8 (or even 10-7 on scare occasions).

So let’s suppose that fighter ‘X’ dominated the first round, earning a 10-8 score, but his opponent ‘Y’ surged back by winning the second and third rounds with a 10-9 note. The final score on the judge’s scorecard would be 28-28.

Another reason which could prompt draws is point deduction, when a fighter commits offenses deemed punishable by the referee.

Types of UFC Draw (H2)

There are three types of draws in UFC and mixed martial arts in general. While we explained above how one judge could end up scoring a bout as a tie, we must remember that every fight is called by three judges, so the final draw verdict could be unanimous, split or by majority.

Unanimous Draw

A unanimous draw occurs when all three judges agree that the fight ended in a draw. This is a rare outcome, since judges are often encouraged to pick a winner, but certainly not as scarce as a double knockout.

Majority Draw

A majority draw ensues when two of the three judges call it a draw while the third gives the nod to one fighter over the other. But as the notion of democracy has it, two judges are enough to decide the final verdict.

Split Draw

A split draw occurs when one judge scores the bout in favor of the first fighter, another judge gives the nod to the second fighter, while the third calls it draw. With three different scoreboards, a stalemate becomes inevitable.

How Many Draws in UFC History?

By the end of March 2023, We’ve seen 51 UFC fights end in a draw, excluding time limit draws which used to occur during the organization’s old days, before the introduction of the modern scoring-system.

The first ever draw took place at UFC 41 (February 2003) in a fight between B.J. Penn and Caol Uno for the vacant lightweight title.

Full List of UFC Draws

Here it the full list of UFC draws which have occurred following the introduction of the modern scoring-system:

Fighter #1Fighter #2EventDateDivisionDraw Type
B.J PennCaol UnoUFC 41February 28, 2003LightweightSplit
Vernon WhiteIan FreemanUFC 43June 6, 2003HeavyweightSplit
Rashad EvansTito OrtizUFC 73July 7, 2007Light HeavyweightUnanimous
Caol UnoFabricio CamoesUFC 106November 21, 2009LightweightMajority
Thiago TavaresNik LentzUFC Fight Night 20January 11, 2010LightweightMajority
Travis BrowneCheick KongoUFC 120October 16, 2010HeavyweightUnanimous
Rafael NatalJesse BongfeldtUFC 124December 11, 2010MiddleweightMajority
Frankie EdgarGray MaynardUFC 125January 1, 2011LightweightSplit
Jon FitchB.J. PennUFC 127February 27, 2011WelterweightMajority
Ian McCallDemetrious JohnsonUFC on FX 2March 3, 2012FlyweightMajority
Felipe ArantesMilton VieiraUFC 147June 23, 2012FeatherweightSplit
Antonio SilvaMark HuntUFC Fight Night 33December 7, 2013HeavyweightMajority
Norman ParkeLeandro SantosUFC Fight Night 38March 23, 2014LightweightMajority
Teruto IshiharaMizuto HirotaUFC Fight Night 75September 27, 2015FeatherweightSplit
Darren TillNicolas DalbyUFC Fight Night 76October 24, 2015WelterweightMajority
Damon JacksonLevon MakashviliUFC on Fox 18January 30, 2016FeatherweightMajority
Sergio MoraesLuan ChagasUFC 198May 14, 2016WelterweightSplit
Kevin CaseyElvis MutapcicUFC 199June 4, 2016MiddleweightSplit
Michael GravesBojan VelickovicUFC 201July 30, 2016WelterweightMajority
Christian ColomboJarjis DanhoUFC Fight Night 93September 3, 2016HeavyweightMajority
Albert MoralesAlejandro PerezUFC Fight Night 94September 17, 2016BantamweightMajority
Tyron WoodleyStephen ThompsonUFC 205November 12, 2016WelterweightMajority
Marion ReneauBethe CorreiaUFC Fight Night 106March 11, 2007BantamweightMajority
Beneil DaruishEvan DunhamUFC 216October 7, 2017LightweightMajority
Lando VannataBobby GreenUFC 216October 7, 2017LightweightSplit
DeAnna BennetMelinda FabianTUF 26 FinaleDecember 1, 2017FlyweightMajority
Marvin VettoriOmari AkhmedovUFC 219December 30, 2017MiddleweightMajority
Marina RodriguezRanda MarkosUFC Fight Night 137September 22, 2018StrawweightMajority
Matt FrevolaLando VannataUFC 230November 3, 2018LightweightMajority
Zubaira TukhugovLerone MurphyUFC 242September 7, 2019FeatherweightSplit
Brandon MorenoAskar AskarovUFC Fight Night 159September 21, 2019FlyweightSplit
Shogun RuaPaul CraigUFC Fight Night 164November 16, 2019Light HeavyweightSplit
Cody StamannSong YadongUFC on ESPN 7December 7, 2019BantamweightMajority
Marina RodriguezCynthia CalvilloUFC on ESPN 7December 7, 2019StrawweightMajority
Enrique BarzolaRani YahyaUFC Fight Night 170March 14, 2020BantamweightMajority
Chris GutierrezCody DurdenUFC Fight Night 173August 1, 2020BantamweightUnanimous
Charles JourdainJoshua CulibaoUFC on ESPN 16October 4, 2020FeatherweightSplit
Sam AlveyDa Un JungUFC 254October 24, 2020Light HeavyweightSplit
Deiveson FigueiredoBrendon MorenoUFC 256December 12, 2020FlyweightMajority
Mayra Bueno SilvaMontana De La RosaUFC Fight Night 186February 27, 2021FlyweightMajority
Ion CutelabaDustin JacobyUFC on ESPN 23May 1, 2021Light HeavyweightSplit
Kai Kamaka IIIDanny ChavezUFC on ESPN 28July 31, 2021FeatherweightMajority
Gustavo LopezAlateng HeiliUFC Fight Night 192September 18, 2021BantamweightUnanimous
Grant DawsonRicky GlennUFC Fight Night 196October 23, 2021BantamweightMajority
Da’Mon BlackshearYoussef ZalalUFC on ESPN 41August 13,
2022
BantamweightMajority
Sean WoodsonLuis SaldanaUFC 278August 20,
2022
FeatherweightSplit
Jan BlachowiczMagomed AnkalaevUFC 282December 10,
2022
Light HeavyweightSplit
Choi Doo-ho Kyle NelsonUFC Fight Night 218February 5, 2023FeatherweightMajority
Jimmy CruteAlonzo MenifieldUFC 284February 12, 2023Light HeavyweightMajority
Jai HerbertLudovit KleinUFC 286March 18, 2023LightweightMajority
Alexa GrassoValentina ShevchenkoNoche UFCSeptember 16, 2023FlyweightSplit
Last updated: September 21, 2023

UFC Title Fight Draws

Throughout the company’s history, six UFC title fights ended in a draw, either leaving the title vacant, or allowing the champion to maintain his belt, albeit in an unconvincing fashion.

Fighter #1Fighter #2EventDateDivisionDraw Type
B.J. PennCaol UnoUFC 41February 28, 2003LightweightSplit
Frankie EdgarGray MaynardUFC 125January 1, 2011LightweightSplit
Tyron WoodleyStephen ThompsonUFC 205November 12, 2016WelterweightMajority
Deiveson FigueiredoBrendon MorenoUFC 256December 12, 2020FlyweightMajority
Jan BlachowiczMagomed AnkalaevUFC 282December 10, 2022Light heavyweightSplit
Alexa GrassoValentina ShevchenkoNoche UFCSeptember 16, 2023FlyweightSplit
Last updated: September 21, 2023

B.J. Penn vs Caol Uno – February 28th, 2003 – UFC 41 – Split Draw

While the lightweight division is deemed to be one of the most fascinating weight classes in the UFC nowadays, it had actually endured a rough beginning during the organization’s earlier years.

In 2003, a thrilling tournament was supposed to culminate in the crowning of a new champion. But while B.J. Penn had done enough to beat Caol Uno in many people’s eyes in the final, only one judge scored the bout in favor of the Hawaiian legend, while another gave the nod to his Japanese opponent, and the third handed the awkward score of 48-48.

This unsatisfying result put the whole division on ice, and a replay never materialized. Instead, Penn had to wait until 2007 to make his glorious return to the weight class and ultimately winning his second UFC belt in 2008. This was long before Penn went endured a late-career losing skid.

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard – January 1st, 2011 – UFC 125 – Spilt Draw

Although Frankie Edgar entered the octagon in UFC 125 as the reigning defending UFC lightweight champion, it was ironically this draw which cemented his status as a legendary fighter.

‘The Answer’ somehow survived one of the nastiest onslaughts in Round 1, with one judge famously handing the incredibly rare score of 10-7 in favor of Gray Maynard.

Yet, a bruised Edgar made a stunning return in the following rounds, as if the beatdown he suffered in the first was a mere distant memory. The defending champion almost finished his challenger, but Maynard displayed his toughness as well, leaving the judges with a particularly difficult call to make.

Eventually, the two fighters had a memorable rematch later that year (it was their third fight overall), where Edgar survived another brutal Round 1, only to win by TKO in Round 4.

Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson – November 12th, 2006 – UFC 205 – Majority Draw

In what was a fascinating stylistic matchup for the welterweight belt, Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson were embroiled in a five-round back-and-forth affair at Madison Square Garden. ‘The Chosen One’ almost finished the fight by submission and arguably won the fourth round in a 10-8 result, but his challenger had apparently prevailed in the other three rounds.

Hence, two judges called it a draw, while the third gave Woodley the nod, so a rematch was inevitable. Sadly, the second bout failed to recapture the magic of its predecessor, with the defending champion earning a majority decision win.

Deiveson Figuieredo vs Brendon Moreno – December 12th, 2020 – UFC 256 – Majority Draw

Between December 2020 and January 2023, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brendon Moreno had been entangled in a seemingly never-ending rivalry. The two flyweight stars became the first two fighters to share the UFC octagon on four occasions, and it’s all thanks to their maiden thrilling encounter.

The Brazilian entered the fight as the heavy favorite to retain the belt, and seemed to be in command for the first three rounds. However, a point deduction from the referee and a late resurgence from the Mexican contender resulted in a majority draw, with only one judge scoring the fight in favor of Figueiredo.

Afterwards, Moreno won the rematch, while Figueiredo retaliated in the trilogy, only for the ‘Assassin Baby’ to win the fourth fight due to a doctor stoppage, leaving an opening for a potential fifth fight.

Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev – December 10th, 2022, Spilt Draw

Any fight that ends in a draw usually leaves both fighters unsatisfied, and this light heavyweight title bout serves as a prime example.

On most occasions, the UFC would almost immediately schedule – or at the very least, promise – a rematch when a title fight ends in draw. But when Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended their bout in a stalemate that left the title vacated, the company simply decided to hand the belt for whoever wins the already-scheduled bout Glover Texeira and Jamahal Hill, much to the dismay of both Blachowicz and Ankalaev.

As for the fight itself, it wasn’t the most entertaining of affairs, but while the two fighters usually claim the win following a tight bout, surprisingly, Blachowicz acknowledged Ankalaev as the moral winner. But while the two contenders were in complete agreement in this regard, the judges were less so, with each of them handing a different verdict.

What Happens If There is a Draw in UFC?

When a UFC bout ends in a draw, the organization usually books a rematch between the two fighters, especially when a title in on the line.

However, this is only a customary practice and not a written rule. Therefore, the UFC can simply decide to drop the rematch idea in favor of more interesting scenarios, especially if the fight itself wasn’t a memorable one.




Rich Wolfenden Reveals What It's REALLY Like to be a Football Commentator👇









Michel Sakr

A freelance sports writer from Beirut, Lebanon. A football fanatic and a Juventus supporter since childhood, but also keeps an eye on various sports around the globe. Currently contributes at Cultofcacio.com and Juvefc.com You can follow Michel on Twitter or Facebook.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts