Code of Maine Rules › 99 - INDEPENDENT AGENCIES › 650 - COMBAT SPORTS AUTHORITY OF MAINE (FORMERLY MIXED MARTIAL ARTS AUTHORITY OF MAINE) › Part 1 - Mixed Martial Arts rules › Chapter 3 - JUDGING/REFEREEING MIXED MARTIAL ARTS CONTESTS › Section 650-1-3-2 - Judging

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
All competitions shall be judged according to the following
					 criteria:
A. All fights shall be
				  evaluated and scored by three judges.
B. The 10-Point Must Scoring System will be
				  the standard system of scoring a fight. Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System,
				  10 points must be awarded to the winner of the round, and 9 or fewer points
				  must be awarded to the loser, except for an even round, which is scored
				  10-10.
C. Application of the
				  10-Point System
1. In General
Points shall be recorded for each of the competitors
					 immediately following the end of each round. At the conclusion of every fight,
					 the points given each competitor shall be totaled by each scorekeeper. The
					 winner's name must then be written clearly on the competition card, and the
					 card must be signed by the judge.
2. Recording Fouls
Upon notification by the referee of a penalty imposed for a
					 foul, at the end of a round, the scorekeeper shall follow the instructions of
					 the referee and make the appropriate mathematical adjustment to a competitor's
					 score.
3. Criteria for
				  Awarding Points
Judges shall award points based on a fighter's use of
					 Effective Striking/Grappling, Effective Aggressiveness, and Fighting Area
					 Control.
a. Effective Striking means
				  legal blows that have immediate or cumulative impact with the potential to
				  contribute to the end of the match, with immediacy of impact given greater
				  value than the cumulative effect of impact.
b. Effective Grappling means successful
				  execution of take downs, submission attempts, reversals, and the achievement of
				  advantageous positions that produce immediate or cumulative impact with the
				  potential to contribute to the end of the match. Immediacy is given greater
				  value than the cumulative effect of impact. A successful take down is not
				  merely a changing of position but the establishment of an attack using the take
				  down.
Top and bottom position fighters are assessed more on the
					 impactful
result of their actions
, less on their relative
					 positions. This criterion will be the deciding factor in a high majority of
					 decisions, when scoring a round. Effective Aggressiveness and Fighting Area
					 Control must be treated as backup considerations and used only when
					 competitors' Effective Striking/Grappling is equal for the round.
c. Effective Aggressiveness means
				  making attempts to finish the fight. The key term is
				  "
effective
." Chasing after an opponent with no effective
				  result or impact should not affect the judges' assessments. Effective
				  Aggressiveness is only to be assessed if competitors' Effective
				  Striking/Grappling is equal for the round.
d. Fighting Area Control means dictating the
				  pace, place, and position of the match. Fighting Area Control is to be assessed
				  only if both competitors' Effective Striking/Grapplingand competitors'
				  Effective Aggressiveness are equal for the round.
4. Scoring Rounds
a. 10-10 Round. A 10 - 10 round is the result
				  of there being no discernable difference or advantage between
				  fighters
.
A 10 - 10 round should be extremely rare and is not a
				  score to be used as an excuse for not being able to assess the differences in
				  the round. It is possible, but highly unlikely, to have a round for which,
				  after both fighters engage for 5 minutes, the output, impact, effectiveness and
				  overall competition between the two fighters are the same. A 10 - 10 round is a
				  necessity for the scoring of incomplete rounds.
b. 10-9 Round. A 10-9 round is the most
				  common score assessed. If, during the round, a judge sees a fighter land better
				  strikes or utilize more effective grappling during the competition,
even if by just one technique
over his/her opponent, the judge
				  shall give that fighter a score of 10 while assessing the other fighter a score
				  of 9 or less. A score of 9 is not an automatic score given to the losing
				  fighter in a round. A judge must consider:
i.
				  Was the fighter engaged in offensive actions during the round?
ii. Did the losing fighter attempt to win the
				  fight or just survive the offensive actions of the opponent?
A score of 10 - 9 can reflect an extremely close round or a
					 round of marginal domination and/or impact.
c. 10-8 Round. A 10 - 8 Round in the result
				  of one fighter winning by a large margin. While not the most common score, it
				  is essential that judges understand and utilize the score. Achieving a score of
				  10 - 8 does not require a fighter to dominate an opponent for 5 minutes of a
				  round but is utilized when a judge sees verifiable actions on the part of a
				  fighter. Judges shall always give a score of 10 - 8, when one fighter dominates
				  and has used either effective strikes or effective grappling maneuvers
				  diminishing the abilities of an opponent.
Duration is the time spent by one fighter effectively
					 attacking, controlling, and impacting an opponent, while the opponent takes
					 little to no offensive action. A judge must assess duration by recognizing the
					 relative time in a round when one fighter takes and maintains full control of
					 an effective offense, either standing or grounded. Judges must consider giving
					 the score of 10 - 8, when a fighter shows dominance in the round, even if the
					 fighter has not impacted an opponent.
No scoring is given for defensive maneuvers, though smart,
					 tactically sound defensive maneuvers allow a fighter to stay in the fight and
					 to be competitive. Dominance of a round can be seen in striking when the losing
					 fighter continually attempts to defend without counters or reaction when
					 opportunities appear. Dominance in grappling is shown by a fighter's taking
					 controlling positions and attempting to use those positions to end the fight by
					 submission or attack. Merely holding a dominant position(s) shall not be a
					 primary factor in assessing dominance. What the fighter does with those
					 positions is what must be assessed. If a fighter has little to no offensive
					 output during a five-minute round, a judge should consider awarding the losing
					 fighter 8 points instead of 9.
A judge must consider giving the score of 10 - 8, when a
					 fighter impacts an opponent significantly, even though the fighter does not
					 dominate the opponent. Effectiveness in striking or grappling is that which
					 leads to a diminishing of a fighter's energy, confidence, abilities, and spirit
					 as a direct result of negative impact. When a fighter is hurt with strikes and
					 shows a lack of control or ability, there may be a defining moment in the
					 fight. If a judge sees that a fighter has been significantly damaged in the
					 round, the judge should consider a score of 10 - 8.
Even though a fighter does not dominate the action, that
					 fighter may impact an opponent significantly. Impact includes creation of
					 visible evidence such as swelling and lacerations or the use of striking and/or
					 grappling that leads to adiminishment of an of an opponent's energy,
					 confidence, abilities, and spirit. Impact shall be assessed with great
					 value.
d. 10-7 Round. A 10
				  - 7 Round is the result of a fighter completely overwhelming an opponent in
				  Effective Strikingand/or Grappling, so as to warrant stopping the fight
.
A 10 - 7 score is rare.
e.
				  Draws. In the event two competitors have been awarded an equal number of
				  points, the decision of the judge shall be a "Draw." In such cases, the
				  Authority may allow an additional deciding round to take place.