MMA Betting Basics

mma betting

Mixed martial arts has gone a long way from its humble beginnings to become a polished sport with professional athletes, mainstream media coverage, and a formal rulebook. But MMA betting is a whole different ballgame than sports betting, and it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of an exciting fight and place wagers that you didn’t intend on making. Fortunately, a few simple tips can help you avoid the mistakes that newcomers to MMA betting often make.

The first step to successful mma betting is understanding the basic betting markets. Unlike the NFL and NHL where there are nightly games to bet on, MMA fights are one-off events. Nevertheless, they can draw as much attention as major league sports events and there are a variety of bet types available.

Moneyline: The simplest way to bet on an MMA match is by placing a moneyline bet. This bet pays out based on which fighter is deemed the winner by a judge, taking into account a combination of factors. These include effective striking (how many legal strikes are landed), grappling (how many takedowns were there), dominance, and aggressiveness. A bet on Khabib Nurmagomedov in his last fight, for example, paid out because of his dominant control over his opponent which was reflected by a high number of takedowns.

Method of Victory: The most popular MMA bet is the Method of Victory prop, which gives you the chance to wager on how a fight will end. This can be by KO/TKO, Submission, or Points. The more precise you are in your selection, the higher the payout will be.

Round Props: Choosing which round you believe the fight will end in is another popular MMA bet. These are more precise than the over/under and pay out based on the exact round in which the stoppage will occur. These bets are often a good choice if you know how a particular fighter tends to win and what their style is.

Lastly, there are also the fun props that are sometimes offered ahead of a big event. These are a great way to get involved in the action without risking your own money and can add a whole new level of excitement to a fight. Examples of these are ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ which is a bet on whether either fighter will win in under a minute, or ‘Gone in 10’ which is a bet on the first fighter to win via a knockout. These are a great addition to any UFC bet and can be a very profitable option for those who can predict how the fight will end.