How to Start Betting on MMA Fights
As one of the fastest-growing sports out there, the MMA (short for Mixed Martial Arts) attracts the interest of sports enthusiasts around the world with dynamics and high energy. This type of sport enjoys particularly great popularity in countries like the USA, Canada, Malaysia, France, and Spain.
The MMA is a full-contact combat sport where fighters are permitted to throw punches as well as to kick, knee, and elbow their opponents. As a result, there is a variety of fighting styles less experienced bettors need to take into consideration before placing their first MMA bet.
If you have previous experience with betting on boxing, then you maybe know how to bet on mma events. But you will also notice that there are diferencies between wagering on the two sports. With that said, there are many things that bear consideration and you will find some of them below.
Familiarize Yourself with the MMA Rules
It is impossible to become a successful MMA bettor without gaining a proper understanding of this sport’s rules. The majority of MMA bouts consist of three rounds, each one continuing for five minutes. An exception is made for title fights where there are five five-minute rounds.
The outcomes in the MMA are quite similar to those in boxing and include the knockout, disqualification, stoppage (also known as a technical knockout), and a win by points. There is one additional outcome in the MMA, the submission, where the fighter locks their opponent on the ground forcing them to submit.
MMA fights are classified into two divisions, one for men and another one for women. Each division consists of several weight classes. Bets are most commonly made on the bouts from the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) although Bellator fights also enjoy popularity among MMA bettors.
Understand How the Odds Work
It is of equal importance for a bettor to get a proper grasp of how MMA odds actually work. There are three main formats of odds expression used by bookmakers, American odds (also called the moneyline), decimals, and fractional odds. Online bookmakers would normally display the odds in the format that is most commonly used locally but you can easily change this if you wish.
The MMA odds are often displayed in the American format, which looks like this:
Alistair Overeem (+205)
Sergei Pavlovich (-245)
The negative sign tells you Sergei Pavlovich is the favorite here and can earn you $2.45 for every dollar you wager. The positive sign means Overeem is the underdog at odds of +205, which means you can collect $2.05 in profit per every dollar wagered.
Learn to Differentiate Between MMA Markets
The next step of mastering MMA betting is learning what the different markets for this sport are all about. The two most popular markets here are the moneyline and the total rounds. When placing a moneyline bet, you are simply wagering on who you think will win the bout.
When betting on total rounds, you are wagering on whether the bout will end in more or fewer than the specified number of rounds. Rookies are recommended to start with these two main markets before they proceed to experiment with more exotic betting options.
Do Some Research on the Fighters You Intend to Back
Punters interested in betting on the moneyline or the total rounds should acquaint themselves with the styles of the fighters participating in a given bout. There are lots of different fighting styles and techniques in the MMA, which is partially what makes the sport so enticing.
MMA combines elements from a number of martial arts including but not limited to Judo, Muay Thai, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, and wrestling. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses. You need to carefully weigh in the two in order to gain an edge over bookies.
Proper understanding of this basis will help you find more value in the future. Statistical analysis on fighters’ ranking and the win/loss ratio they have recorded can also be quite handy.
Shop the Lines to Find More Value
Undoubtedly, this is one of the keys to any punter’s success regardless of what sport they prefer to bet on. The idea here is to compare the odds offered by different betting sites compared by traffic in order to extract more value from your MMA bets.
It is not unusual to come across odds discrepancies at different bookmakers for the exact same wager. Bookies win money by adjusting the odds in such a way so as to attract enough betting action for each side involved in a given boat.
The good news is the profusion of betting sites makes it easier than ever for punters to draw comparisons and find the best MMA odds for the markets they are interested in. To better illustrate what we mean, imagine one bookmaker offers you a payout of $110 for a $100 bet while at another place, you get $150 for the same wager. It makes perfect sense for you to pick the bookie offering you the higher returns, right?
Because of this, it is advisable for MMA bettors to register at several online sportsbooks. This enables them to compare the odds on offer and place their bets on the website that offers the highest value for a given MMA bout. There are plenty of sportsbooks on the web. Be sure to choose a trusted one with a valid license and broad coverage of MMA events.
