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 #1 | Fighter #2 | Event | Date | Division | Draw Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.J Penn | Caol Uno | UFC 41 | February 28, 2003 | Lightweight | Split |
| Vernon White | Ian Freeman | UFC 43 | June 6, 2003 | Heavyweight | Split |
| Rashad Evans | Tito Ortiz | UFC 73 | July 7, 2007 | Light Heavyweight | Unanimous |
| Caol Uno | Fabricio Camoes | UFC 106 | November 21, 2009 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Thiago Tavares | Nik Lentz | UFC Fight Night 20 | January 11, 2010 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Travis Browne | Cheick Kongo | UFC 120 | October 16, 2010 | Heavyweight | Unanimous |
| Rafael Natal | Jesse Bongfeldt | UFC 124 | December 11, 2010 | Middleweight | Majority |
| Frankie Edgar | Gray Maynard | UFC 125 | January 1, 2011 | Lightweight | Split |
| Jon Fitch | B.J. Penn | UFC 127 | February 27, 2011 | Welterweight | Majority |
| Ian McCall | Demetrious Johnson | UFC on FX 2 | March 3, 2012 | Flyweight | Majority |
| Felipe Arantes | Milton Vieira | UFC 147 | June 23, 2012 | Featherweight | Split |
| Antonio Silva | Mark Hunt | UFC Fight Night 33 | December 7, 2013 | Heavyweight | Majority |
| Norman Parke | Leandro Santos | UFC Fight Night 38 | March 23, 2014 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Teruto Ishihara | Mizuto Hirota | UFC Fight Night 75 | September 27, 2015 | Featherweight | Split |
| Darren Till | Nicolas Dalby | UFC Fight Night 76 | October 24, 2015 | Welterweight | Majority |
| Damon Jackson | Levon Makashvili | UFC on Fox 18 | January 30, 2016 | Featherweight | Majority |
| Sergio Moraes | Luan Chagas | UFC 198 | May 14, 2016 | Welterweight | Split |
| Kevin Casey | Elvis Mutapcic | UFC 199 | June 4, 2016 | Middleweight | Split |
| Michael Graves | Bojan Velickovic | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | Welterweight | Majority |
| Christian Colombo | Jarjis Danho | UFC Fight Night 93 | September 3, 2016 | Heavyweight | Majority |
| Albert Morales | Alejandro Perez | UFC Fight Night 94 | September 17, 2016 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Tyron Woodley | Stephen Thompson | UFC 205 | November 12, 2016 | Welterweight | Majority |
| Marion Reneau | Bethe Correia | UFC Fight Night 106 | March 11, 2007 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Beneil Daruish | Evan Dunham | UFC 216 | October 7, 2017 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Lando Vannata | Bobby Green | UFC 216 | October 7, 2017 | Lightweight | Split |
| DeAnna Bennet | Melinda Fabian | TUF 26 Finale | December 1, 2017 | Flyweight | Majority |
| Marvin Vettori | Omari Akhmedov | UFC 219 | December 30, 2017 | Middleweight | Majority |
| Marina Rodriguez | Randa Markos | UFC Fight Night 137 | September 22, 2018 | Strawweight | Majority |
| Matt Frevola | Lando Vannata | UFC 230 | November 3, 2018 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Zubaira Tukhugov | Lerone Murphy | UFC 242 | September 7, 2019 | Featherweight | Split |
| Brandon Moreno | Askar Askarov | UFC Fight Night 159 | September 21, 2019 | Flyweight | Split |
| Shogun Rua | Paul Craig | UFC Fight Night 164 | November 16, 2019 | Light Heavyweight | Split |
| Cody Stamann | Song Yadong | UFC on ESPN 7 | December 7, 2019 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Marina Rodriguez | Cynthia Calvillo | UFC on ESPN 7 | December 7, 2019 | Strawweight | Majority |
| Enrique Barzola | Rani Yahya | UFC Fight Night 170 | March 14, 2020 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Chris Gutierrez | Cody Durden | UFC Fight Night 173 | August 1, 2020 | Bantamweight | Unanimous |
| Charles Jourdain | Joshua Culibao | UFC on ESPN 16 | October 4, 2020 | Featherweight | Split |
| Sam Alvey | Da Un Jung | UFC 254 | October 24, 2020 | Light Heavyweight | Split |
| Deiveson Figueiredo | Brendon Moreno | UFC 256 | December 12, 2020 | Flyweight | Majority |
| Mayra Bueno Silva | Montana De La Rosa | UFC Fight Night 186 | February 27, 2021 | Flyweight | Majority |
| Ion Cutelaba | Dustin Jacoby | UFC on ESPN 23 | May 1, 2021 | Light Heavyweight | Split |
| Kai Kamaka III | Danny Chavez | UFC on ESPN 28 | July 31, 2021 | Featherweight | Majority |
| Gustavo Lopez | Alateng Heili | UFC Fight Night 192 | September 18, 2021 | Bantamweight | Unanimous |
| Grant Dawson | Ricky Glenn | UFC Fight Night 196 | October 23, 2021 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Da’Mon Blackshear | Youssef Zalal | UFC on ESPN 41 | August 13, 2022 | Bantamweight | Majority |
| Sean Woodson | Luis Saldana | UFC 278 | August 20, 2022 | Featherweight | Split |
| Jan Blachowicz | Magomed Ankalaev | UFC 282 | December 10, 2022 | Light Heavyweight | Split |
| Choi Doo-ho | Kyle Nelson | UFC Fight Night 218 | February 5, 2023 | Featherweight | Majority |
| Jimmy Crute | Alonzo Menifield | UFC 284 | February 12, 2023 | Light Heavyweight | Majority |
| Jai Herbert | Ludovit Klein | UFC 286 | March 18, 2023 | Lightweight | Majority |
| Alexa Grasso | Valentina Shevchenko | Noche UFC | September 16, 2023 | Flyweight | Split |
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 #1 | Fighter #2 | Event | Date | Division | Draw Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.J. Penn | Caol Uno | UFC 41 | February 28, 2003 | Lightweight | Split |
| Frankie Edgar | Gray Maynard | UFC 125 | January 1, 2011 | Lightweight | Split |
| Tyron Woodley | Stephen Thompson | UFC 205 | November 12, 2016 | Welterweight | Majority |
| Deiveson Figueiredo | Brendon Moreno | UFC 256 | December 12, 2020 | Flyweight | Majority |
| Jan Blachowicz | Magomed Ankalaev | UFC 282 | December 10, 2022 | Light heavyweight | Split |
| Alexa Grasso | Valentina Shevchenko | Noche UFC | September 16, 2023 | Flyweight | Split |
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.
