GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Does a referee's MMA point deduction carry into the next round in Nevada?
No. Under NAC 467.7964, Nevada places any awarded foul deduction in the round where the foul occurred and prohibits taking it from a later round. The referee determines the number in the circumstances covered by the rule and notifies the commission representative, judges, and both contestants.
For MMA viewers reading round-by-round scorecards after a referee announces a point deduction. · Updated
The referee sets and announces the deduction
In Nevada, the referee may deduct points after a foul. Except for the separate circumstance identified in NAC 467.698(2), the referee determines the number based on the foul's severity and effect on the opponent. As soon as practical after the foul, the referee tells the commission representative, the judges, and both contestants how many points, if any, are being deducted.
The deduction does not follow the offender across the whole bout as an unassigned penalty. NAC 467.7964 says it must be taken in the round where the foul happened and cannot be taken from the score of any later round.
A one-point example
The example shows the location of the adjustment only. One point is stipulated for arithmetic; the regulation does not make that amount automatic for every foul.
Keep the other rounds separate
A point adjustment can change the scorecard's round arithmetic, but the other round lines remain tied to what the judges assessed in those rounds. Do not subtract the same announced point again in Round 2, or carry a Round 1 penalty as a new penalty into Round 3.
For a real bout, use the referee's actual announcement and the event commission's scorecard. This Nevada rule alone cannot establish what happened in a particular contest.
A fictional deduction in Round 1
Suppose each of three judges initially scores Round 1 Red 10, Blue 9. The referee announces a hypothetical one-point deduction from Blue for a foul in Round 1. For the sample arithmetic, the net Round 1 line becomes Red 10, Blue 8. Each judge then scores Round 2 Blue 10, Red 9 based on that round's action; no part of the Round 1 deduction is subtracted again from Round 2. The example does not imply that a one-point penalty is required for any particular foul.
Related questions
Does the Nevada rule decide how many points every foul costs?
No. NAC 467.7964 says the referee determines the deduction in the stated circumstances based on the foul's severity and effect, with a separate cross-reference to NAC 467.698(2).