(George Galanis is a freelance writer and MMA contributor to BPL.)

The UFC has already had two pay-per-view main events this year - Frankie Edgar v Gray Maynard fight at UFC 125, and BJ Penn v Jon Fitch fight at UFC 127 - end in draws, with neither fighter getting his hand raised.

UFC president Dana White has expressed his dissatisfaction with those decisions, and proposed a solution: add overtime to UFC fights.

White was asked recently whether he would favour an overtime round for fights that end in draws, just as The Ultimate Fighter has done. White said he thought that was a good idea.

"I hate draws," said White. "I think it's just such a waste of everybody's time and energy. It's something that I would definitely explore." The big question is whether state athletic commissions would be open to allowing overtime.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctions the exhibition fights in The Ultimate Fighter, so that particular commission apparently doesn't have any principled objection to adding an extra round.

However, Ultimate Fighter overtime rounds come after the fighters have fought only two five-minute rounds. It would be a lot more taxing on the fighters to add an overtime round after a 25-minute war like Edgar v Maynard. A three-minute overtime round may be more reasonable.

There would still be issues left to address with an overtime round, such as what would happen if one fighter wins the overtime round, 10-9, but has a point deducted for committing a foul. Draws might be unavoidable in some situations, just as no-contests are unavoidable in some situations.

Reducing the number of draws in MMA is a worthy goal. Two of this year's first major events had unsatisfying conclusions, and if overtime reduces such unsatisfying conclusions, that can only be a good thing for a sport trying to gain mainstream acceptance.