What is a 'technical decision' in the UFC?

Caio Borralho (left), Martin Buday vs. Chris Barnett (right) [Images via @ufc on Instagram]

A technical decision in the UFC happens when the fight has to be stopped due to an illegal strike. The decision is left to the scorecards if a certain number of rounds have passed before the contest is called.

There is a fine line between a technical decision and a disqualification, which may occur if the illegal strike is deemed fight-ending. In such cases, the fighter who fouled is disqualified, and his opponent earns a DQ win. A classic example is Aljamain Sterling winning the bantamweight title after Petr Yan left him concussed with an illegal knee at UFC 259.

The doctor has called off the fight after speaking to Aljamain Sterling, who was struck with an illegal knee by Petr Yan at #UFC259 https://t.co/oRLduQfraV

But the fight may be allowed to continue if the ringside doctor deems the victim to be fit, with the perpetrator of the foul being fined a point. Regardless, the fight is called off if the victim is unwilling to go on and is judged to be a technical decision based on the scorecards up to that point.

In certain cases, the fight is considered a no-contest if it is too premature to be judged. Belal Muhammad vs. Leon Edwards was declared a no-contest after an eye poke from 'Rocky' in round two left Muhammad unable to continue.

UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Muhammad sees two technical decisions

The recently concluded Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas saw two technical decisions. Martin Buday scored a 30-27 technical decision win over Chris Barnett in their heavyweight clash on the prelims card.

After dominating 'Beastboy' for two rounds, Buday landed an apparently illegal strike on the back of Barnett's head in round three. Barnett immediately dropped to the canvas, and the fight was called off at 01:38 of the third round as he could not continue.

30-27
30-27
30-27

Martin Buday scores a technical unanimous decision victory at #UFCVegas51 https://t.co/5yu3YcINxk

In the night's co-main event, Caio Borralho earned a technical UD (29-27x3) win over Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. Borralho dominated the previously undefeated prospect from the very onset while putting his entire arsenal on display.

However, the Brazilian landed an illegal knee in round three, which led to him being fined a point. The strike opened up a cut on Omargadzhiev's cheek, and the Russian was unable to continue. 'The Natural', however, managed to walk away with a technical unanimous decision as the strike was deemed illegal. This immediately drew comparisons to Petr Yan's DQ loss against Sterling, where 'Funkmaster' won the title despite being dominated while the bout lasted.

Caio Borralho takes the technical decision after the fight ends due to an illegal knee #UFCVegas51 https://t.co/7UlW2a1pW4