Under the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) 2025 MMA Officials Handbook, three judges score every round on the 10-Point Must System using a strict prioritized cascade: Plan A (Effective Striking and Grappling), Plan B (Effective Aggressiveness), and Plan C (Fighting Area Control). Effective Striking and Grappling sits alone as the top priority; Plan B is evaluated only if Plan A is 100 percent even, and Plan C (dictating pace, place, and position) is used only when both Plan A and Plan B are 100 percent even.
Immediate Impact vs. Cumulative Impact and Takedown Attacks
Within Plan A, judges weigh legal actions that carry immediate impact with the potential to contribute toward the end of the match more heavily than cumulative impact. A successful takedown is not merely a change of position—the handbook specifies that it is measured by the establishment of an attack from the use of the takedown, and top and bottom position are assessed more by the impactful or effective result of a fighter’s actions than by positional occupancy.
When Damage, Dominance, and Duration Mandate a 10–8 Round
While nearly 95 percent of rounds are scored 10–9, the ABC Judging Handbook (pages 13–21) instructs judges to evaluate 10–8 rounds through three variables: Damage, Dominance, and Duration. If a round exhibits two of those three characteristics, a 10–8 score must be considered; if a fighter achieves all three—dominating the action for a significant duration while visibly damaging the opponent to diminish their energy, confidence, abilities, or spirit—a 10–8 round is obligatory even without a knockdown or near-finish.