MMA Betting Guide
MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in terms of popularity and has seen huge growth in spectators and coverage over recent years.
As with any popular sport, bookmakers offer a range of betting markets to punters looking to have a wager on the fights and as the popularity of MMA grows, so do the betting options.
The betting options on MMA fights are often similar to those on a boxing match but there are a few differences.
In this guide, we’ll be showing you what your options are when it comes to betting on the fights online along with some MMA tips to help you decide what bets to place to ensure you have the best chance of making a profit.
MMA Betting
Fight Result
The easiest type of bet to place on MMA is on the fight result. You select one of the two fighters to win and if they do, your bet wins. Simple!
Card Betting
On many occasions, there are several fights that take place throughout one event. Less popular fights usually take place first with the main event towards the end of the evening. Some bookmakers will allow you to bet on the card which means that you can select fighters to win across multiple fights under one bet.
Round Bets
The majority of bookmakers will allow you to bet on the round that you think the winner or the fight will be decided in. Perhaps an even more popular bet is betting on a certain fighter to win in a specific round. Backing both the fighter to win and the round that they win in can often result in high and attractive odds.
Method Of Victory
In an MMA fight, fighters can win by various methods such as by knockout, by submission, by disqualification or if the fight goes the distance, on points. If a fighter has a track record of winning by a certain method, you may wish to consider this market.
Moneyline Bets
Moneyline bets aren’t available with all UK bookies and are more popular in the US and is a similar betting market to the Fight Winner.
With Moneyline bets, the fighter that is considered to be the underdog has a – symbol followed by a number such as -200. This is the amount you must stake in order to win $100 from the bet should that fighter win.
The favourite in the fight as a + symbol followed by a number. This is the amount that you would win if you staked $100 and the fighter won.
Fight To Go The Distance
If you think neither fighter will win by KO, submission or any other method during the rounds, an option would be to bet on the fight going the distance. Your bet would win if either fighter wins on points.
Prop Bets
Prop bets in MMA can be a fun bet to have. Especially if you are watching the fight and following the stats live.
Prob bets can often be novelty type bets but some are also based on stats. For example, an MMA prop bet may be what colour shorts a fighter will wear. On the other hand, it may be the number of punched they will throw during the fight which you may be able to do some research into based on statistics.
Tips For Betting On MMA
Use Your Head
MMA fights often gain a lot of press coverage and the media encourage big headlines to increase the number of viewers watching the fight.
When deciding on which bets to place, make sure that your bets are based on research and your own opinions and not those of the media.
Stats & Research
If you follow MMA religiously then it’s likely that you will already know a lot about each fighter, their style and their strengths & weaknesses. However, even if there is a fighter that you don’t know much about, there is a wealth of information at your fingertips by simply using the internet.
Various stats and records of nearly every mainstream fighter are available online and this information can be extremely useful when betting on the fights. It can also be a good idea to talk to others either in person or via MMA forums and listen to other fans opinions who may have insight into a fight or fighter that you haven’t come across yet.
Don’t Chase Your Losses
If you’re betting on the card, don’t be tempted to chase your losses should your bets earlier on in the night not go to plan. Always bet within your limits and only place bets that you are confident have a good chance of winning and have value.
