Dana White: 5-Round Non-Title Fights in UFC's Immediate Future

Nick CaronApr 30, 2011

Five-round non-title fights are in the UFC’s immediate future, according to UFC President Dana White, who told the media on Friday of the organization’s plans.

“I hate draws worse than anything,” White declared as the biggest reason the the change in rules.

This new format has been talked about for years, but really came to the forefront after the UFC 127 main event between welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and BJ Penn, a three-round fight which went to a majority draw.

In the past, five-round bouts have been reserved for title fights, but the decision-makers within the company appear to have decided that high-profile main event fights that are not for titles should still be given five rounds.

“You sit there and watch a game for hours and nobody wins?" White continued. "I don't get it. That's one thing I hate about fights, too. Draws suck."

Though there have been draws in five-round fights including the UFC 125 main event rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, the five-round format certainly gives fighters more time to prove that they deserve the decision, as well as 10 extra minutes to potentially finish the fight.

White indicated that the UFC had planned to make the UFC 131 main event between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos a five-round fight, but later decided to scrap the idea. The reason cited is that they did not want to inform the fighters of the change after they had already begun training for a three-round fight.

Though no specific timetable has been given as to when the UFC will implement this new rule in certain high-profile fights, it would make sense to be used in upcoming pay-per-view events.

At UFC 133, Rashad Evans is currently set to face Phil Davis in what many believe to be a possible No. 1 contenders bout, although the UFC has not confirmed that part to be true. Either way, without any other title on the line, this main event between two of the light heavyweight division’s top fighters could very well end up being the first five-round non-title fight in the UFC’s history.