Evan Dunham hadn’t considered the possibility of a draw against Beneil Dariush at UFC 216.
That’s exactly what happened inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After three rounds, the judges couldn’t settle on a winner. It was the second draw of the night, as Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata also failed to declare a winner.
During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Dunham explained what was going through his mind before the score totals were read:
“A draw never even crossed my mind until they said it, to tell you the truth. Because I think this was what, my 33rd fight or something like that total, counting amateurs. And I’d never had a draw before. So I wasn’t thinking draw. I was actually thinking I won that, because I won (Rounds 2 and 3).”
Dunham then talked about the difference between his mindset before the decision was made and after it was revealed.
“When I’m there, I don’t think about, ‘How did they score this round?’ I think about, ‘Did I win that round, or did I lose that round?’ But after this fight I’m probably going to start thinking a little bit more, like ‘OK, how exactly did they score it?’”