Last updated: July 7, 2026
Quick Definition
Open scoring is a system in mixed martial arts where the judges’ scores are revealed after each round instead of being kept secret until the end of the fight.
What is open scoring?
Under the standard rules of MMA, three judges score every round on the 10-point must system, and nobody outside that trio knows the numbers until the final decision is read. Open scoring changes one thing: the scores are disclosed after each round. Depending on how a commission or promotion runs it, the numbers go to the fighters and their corners, and sometimes to the broadcast and the crowd as well.
The term comes up constantly in arguments about MMA judging. Fighters lose win bonuses and title shots on scorecards they never see until it is too late to respond, and supporters view open scoring as a fix for that. A fighter who knows the score can change tactics while the fight is still winnable.
The concept has floated around combat sports for decades, but it only reached American MMA in March 2020, when the Kansas Athletic Commission ran it at an Invicta FC event in Kansas City.
How open scoring works
Nothing about the judging itself changes. The same three judges apply the same 10-point must system and the same criteria, with effective striking and grappling at the top. The only difference is when the scores become public.
At the first openly scored event in the US, Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3, an inspector collected the three scorecards and showed them to each corner on a tablet within 30 to 35 seconds of the horn, according to ESPN. Other versions push the numbers to broadcast graphics or arena screens instead.
A promoter cannot simply decide to use open scoring on its own. In the United States, a state athletic commission has to authorize it first, and even where it is authorized, using it stays optional for each event.
Open scoring vs. traditional scoring
The two systems differ only in what people can see, and when.
| Traditional (closed) scoring | Open scoring | |
| Who sees round scores mid-fight | Only each judge | Fighters, corners, sometimes fans |
| When totals are revealed | After the final horn | After every round |
| Scoring system | 10-point must | 10-point must (unchanged) |
| Strategic information | Corners guess at the score | Corners know the score |
| Decision announcement | Suspense until it is read | Outcome often known in advance |
One common point of confusion: open scoring is not the same as live scoring. Apps such as Verdict MMA let viewers score fights round by round, but those numbers come from fans and carry no official weight. Open scoring refers strictly to the official judges’ cards.
Where open scoring is used
Kansas authorized open scoring in 2020, and Colorado followed in 2021, making them the only two US states to adopt it so far, per Uncrowned. Wyoming’s commission has said it would approve requests, and New Mexico handles the question case by case. Invicta FC and LFA have both run openly scored events under the Kansas rules.
The biggest adopter is in Europe. Oktagon MMA, one of the biggest promotions in Europe, introduced open scoring for every bout starting at Oktagon 51 in Prague in December 2023, with scores shown to fighters and fans alike.
The UFC does not use it. Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs, told BoxingNews.com in 2024 that he and the promotion “feel strongly about not having it,” partly because a decision announcement loses its drama when everyone already knows the totals.
Why open scoring is controversial
The main argument against it is the coasting fear: a fighter who knows they are two rounds up might spend the final five minutes running or holding position instead of fighting. Ratner has pointed to boxing experiments where exactly that happened.
Critics also worry about the judges. If a crowd boos a scorecard between rounds, the judge who wrote it may feel pressure to bend the next one. Kansas addressed this by showing corners the three scores without attaching judges’ names, a detail reported by Evolve Daily.
Supporters counter that fighters have their health and half their pay riding on scores they currently cannot see. When The Athletic surveyed fighters anonymously in 2020, 80% supported open scoring. Max Holloway has backed the idea publicly for years, and he sat cageside at the Kansas debut to watch it in action.
What the research shows
The coasting fear has now been tested. A 2025 study by Paul Gift in the Journal of Sports Analytics analyzed 3,646 UFC bouts and found no statistical evidence that fighters ahead on the scorecards disengage in the final round.
The behavior that changes belongs to the fighter who is losing. Trailing fighters cut their takedown attempts by 38% and their submission attempts by 49% in the last round, a pattern consistent with hunting a knockout, and they lose the final round more often as a result.
The commission data points the same way. Kansas found the leading fighter winning the last round 11 to 12% more often under open scoring across Invicta and LFA events, and Gift’s UFC analysis put the figure at 10.4%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the UFC use open scoring?
No. UFC officials, including Marc Ratner and CEO Dana White, have opposed it for years, and scores at UFC events stay sealed until the final decision is read.
Which US states allow open scoring?
Kansas and Colorado. Wyoming has indicated it would approve a request if a promoter ever made one, and New Mexico decides case by case, so availability still depends on where an event takes place.
Do fighters coast when they know they are ahead?
Research says no. A 2025 study of UFC data found no systematic drop in activity from leading fighters, though trailing fighters do change how they chase a win.
Is open scoring the same as live scoring?
No. Live or fan scoring collects unofficial scores from viewers through apps and carries no weight in the result, while open scoring means the official judges’ cards are disclosed during the fight.
Sources
- ESPN. “Invicta FC debuts open-scoring, called ‘a step up for the MMA world’.” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://www.espn.com/mma/story//id/28854870/invicta-fc-debuts-open-scoring-called-step-mma-world - ESPN. “How Kansas and Invicta FC brought the idea of open scoring in MMA to life.” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://www.espn.com/mma/story//id/28878976/how-kansas-invicta-fc-brought-idea-open-scoring-mma-life - ESPN. “Colorado adopts open scoring for boxing and MMA bouts.” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/32389070/colorado-adopts-open-scoring-boxing-mma-bouts - Uncrowned via Yahoo Sports. “Do MMA fighters coast to victory with open scoring? New study says no.” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mma/article/do-mma-fighters-coast-to-victory-with-open-scoring-new-study-says-no-140017234.html - Gift, Paul. Study of open scoring and fighter behavior. Journal of Sports Analytics, 2025. Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/22150218251346419 - BoxingNews.com via Yardbarker. “Should The UFC Have Open Scoring?” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/should_the_ufc_have_open_scoring/s1_17349_40632028 - Evolve Daily. “The Big Debate: Should MMA Adopt Open Scoring?” Accessed July 8, 2026.
https://evolve-mma.com/blog/the-big-debate-should-mma-adopt-open-scoring/
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