Betting on UFC fights can be a great way to make the experience that much better overall. People already enjoying the sport only have to worry about two people in a bet, compared to multiple players influencing a team game.
What are the different ways to engage in UFC betting? How do bets work in the UFC? Like any type of one-on-one sport, there are somewhat limited options. However, knowing the basics as well as some creative ways to bet helps.
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Straight-Up Winners (Moneyline)
The simplest way to get involved with UFC betting is too bet on the money line. This is picking one fighter to win over the other. Sportsbooks will use a money line to size up to fight. Favorites require more money to be put down on them to win the same amount of money as an underdog. All betting can now be done online in legal states, or in-person at casinos and sportsbooks.
Take, for example, the odds of, one fighter getting -300, and another fighter getting +175. The -300 fighter is the favorite, and that means someone has to bet $300 to win $100. In the other scenario, +175 means the fighter is an underdog. This requires betting $100 to win $175.
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While draws can technically happen in UFC, not all sportsbooks offer this as an option. Even if they do, the odds are long that it happens. If they don’t offer a draw as a choice, then people get their money back if it happens. Generally speaking, betting on a draw in UFC fighting is not worth it.
Round Predictions
Another variable that some UFC gamblers will look into is betting on how many rounds it will take to determine a winner. This is a little harder to pull of than just picking a winner, but it presents people with some juicy odds.
Some fighters are much more likely to end a fight early than others. Breaking down the style of fighting and the opponent can give people a good idea of what might happen.
A strategy here is to look at past fights and see if opponents tend to go down early. If there’s a mismatch, this could be a chance for a fight to end early as well.
Method of Victory
There are different ways to win a fight in UFC. Sportsbooks have offered Method of Victory prop bets as a way for those really into the sport to get specific with their betting.
The most common ways to win in any form of MMA are by knockout, disqualification, submission, or decision. The odds change significantly based on the match up, but it’s a way to dive deeper into the match and get some pretty good odds on different ways of winning.
How Timing Factors into UFC
The timing of a fight can largely dictate the result in UFC. There’s a thing such as ring rust, which happens when a fighter hasn’t actively participated in a fight lately. If they are rusty, they are more vulnerable to defeat.
injury issues also can create quite a bit of concern. Since this is a team sport, injuries play a much bigger role in the outcome. Pay close attention to any injury news leading up to the fight before placing a wager. It’s best to wait until the day of a fight to place a wager.
Making the Most of Fight Night in the UFC
Whether gamblers want to put money on one fight or set up parlays for an entire night of action, betting on the UFC is a great way to stay involved. The options are pretty straightforward, and like a lot of niche sports, people who pay close attention feel like they have more of an edge than in mainstream sports.
Look into parlay or round robin parlay bets to stay locked in the whole night. Some pretty lucrative odds start to form with a few picks combined. UFC betting is only growing as the sport takes off. The fights move fast, so there aren’t huge wait times for results. With stacked-up fights during events, the sport is built for hardcore and casual gamblers to jump in.