Not too many people know how to bet on MMA when compared to other sports. This is mainly because it’s a relatively new market when compared to other events out there. However, it’s really not that much different from betting on boxing in terms of what’s on offer and what you need to do. In this article we will look at the most popular ways of MMA betting.
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Betting on MMA usually takes place at online bookmakers. This is because they tend to offer players easy access to a number of different MMA markets. There’s also the added bonus of being able to get MMA betting bonuses when using an online bookmaker. Online bookmakers are accessed through a web browser or app, which means that they can be used at any time and any place as long as there is an internet connection available.
Betting at a high street bookmaker is much less common for MMA. This is because MMA bouts don’t tend to be as highly publicised as other sporting events in the confines of a high street bookmaker. However, if you go in and ask, then you may be able to get access to MMA markets from the employees inside the shop.
There are some ways to bet on MMA that are more popular than others and stand out a little bit more.
The first way is the typical bet on who will win the fight. When betting on the UFC, a draw isn’t usually an option to bet on. This is because there have been very few draws in the UFC – in fact, at this moment in time, it has been over 20 years since a fight finished in a draw. This is often the case in most MMA bouts, which means that most people only bet on either of the two fighters ending up as the winner. There will be a favourite in place for the bout that will offer shorter odds than the underdog. There are no home or away grounds for MMA fights.
The second major MMA market is the method of victory market. The most popular methods of victory are knockout and submission – so for this market, you would have to check out the styles of both fighters in order to ascertain which bet would be the right one for you.
You can also put together accumulators based on a number of different bouts that are taking place. This is a collection of bets on different fights. An accumulator offers better odds than placing bets on each fight individually because the odds stack across the whole bet. It is also a lot harder to get correct due to needing to get each part of the bet correct in order to win.
MMA does also have other markets available to bet on, but they’re not as common as these ways to place a bet.
Punters who follow and bet on boxing can make the transition to MMA betting without a lot of difficulty. That being said, there are several major differences that are very important. Heres what to consider when choosing the best place to best on MMA.
The largest MMA organization is UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) but there are around 50 MMA comissions. Here’s a list of our favourite and ones you should definitely be considering when placing bets.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Bellator MMA
Absolute Championship Berkut (based in Grozny, Russia)
Fight Nights Global (based in Moscow)
ONE Championship (based in Singapore)
Rizin Fighting Federation (based in Tokyo)
Invicta FC
Pancrase (based in Tokyo)
M-1 Global (based in St. Petersburg, Russia)
Legacy Fighting Alliance
World Fighting Alliance (based in Grozny, Russia)
Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (based in Warsaw, Poland)
Deep (based in Nagoya, Japan)
Road Fighting Championship (based in Wonju, South Korea)
Cage Warriors (based in London England)
You have to be sure you’re choosing a safe and secure site. You should never compromise your safety and security when placing bets. You should, therefore, ensure you’re using a site with maximum protection. The payment processing speed should be a factor here. Take a look at our payment methods page if you’re unfamiliar with processing times
Betting on MMA is a matter of winning or losing. Losing on bets is a common occasion, but if you lose your money unfairly, then it means you’re dealing with an unreliable site. For instance, you might lose your money if the site shuts down unannounced. This might be a planned or deliberated act
Illicit operators have even been known to cheat their punters through rigged software or withhold players’ winnings without reason. Most people end up writing their money off or siting it as bad luck. The worst scenario is having your personal details exposed – Any site that misuses or doesn’t protect clients’ information is a scam. Therefore, you must use a trustworthy and reputable gambling site.
Always make sure your chosen operator is regulated by some form of gambling authority. In the UK this is usually the UKGC. This information can usually be found in the footer of the operators website.
Once you’re comfortable with the range of betting options available, it’s time to work out which offers the best value.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Prices | It may sound obvious, but not all MMA betting sites price matches in the same way. Some offer big prices on underdogs, others have competitive figures for the favourite, while selected sites are focused on delivering good prices on under-appreciated markets. |
| Accumulators | Backing multiple wins or outcomes can give big odds, so finding a site that lets you stack more results and markets can mean the difference between a nice prize and a life-changing win. |
| Cash out | If you enjoy betting in-play, you may want to consider a MMA betting site that allows you to cash out your bet at any time. Helpful if the momentum is shifting in a fight and you’ve changed your mind. |
| Bonuses/loyalty schemes | Special offers and rewards based on betting spending are all available from the best betting sites, choosing a gambling site that rewards your betting style can really help your margins. |
A reliable betting site should allow you to place bets and check results while going about your every day business. You should not be limited to your desktop PC at home. A reliable bookie will always ensure the site is compatible with your smartphone and offer and attractive and easy to use platform.
There are a number of different MMA betting bonuses that are offered to punters. These are normally offered at online bookmakers due to high street bookmakers not usually offering customers bonus options. The only real exception to this rule is acca boosts. These can sometimes be offered by both online and high street bookmakers. These will offer a boost to the odds that are available on accumulators that are put together by the player.
Some online bookmakers will also offer free bets on some big fights. If there is a UFC main event that is garnering a lot of interest, then there might be the ability to place a free bet on the bout. This will pay out just the winnings and won’t return the stake like a standard bet would.
It’s also possible that there will be cashback bonuses available. These are usually offered on specific fights and will give players a return of their stake if they place a wager on a fighter who then goes on to lose their bout.
In order to make it easier to win money on MMA betting, you will have to carry out a lot of research. The best area to focus your research on is the methods that fighters use to end their fights, and the ways that fighters lose their fights. When you have this information available, you will be able to work out the most likely way that a fight will end. Your next step is to apply it to specific fights.
For example, if there are two fighters facing each other and they are both submission experts who end their fights with submissions, you know that submission is the most likely way that the fight will end. This means that you will be able to place a wager on the fight ending via submission. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you will have all the answers in regard to how to win betting on MMA, but it will increase your chances of success.
You can also use in-play betting to your advantage. For example, if during the fight, you notice that one of the fighters is landing a lot of heavy strikes, then it might be worth your while placing a wager on the fight ending by knockout. This is especially useful if the strikes are having a big impact on the fighter being hit.
On the whole, the best way to increase your chances of winning is to increase your knowledge so that you understand betting on MMA to a greater degree. Knowledge doesn’t guarantee success, but it does increase your chances.
MMA betting has two factors that impact on what the odds are. The first way is how pre-fight odds are put together before anyone has placed a bet. The statistics around each fighter, such as the number of fights, number of wins, number of losses and quality of opponents, are used to decide which fighter is more likely to get the win. There are obviously other metrics that are used to create the odds, such as potential injuries, but once all of this information has been collated, the odds for the bout will be put together.
The fight will usually offer both a favourite and an underdog. The favourite will have much shorter odds, as the chances of them winning are much higher. This means that the underdog will have longer odds as the chances of them staging an upset are low.
Example: The favourite might offer odds of 1/12 for a win and the underdog might offer 7/1. This means that a £12 bet on the favourite would return £13 if they win – the £12 stake and £1 winnings. A £1 bet on the underdog would return £8 if they win – the £1 stake returned and £7 winnings.
The second factor is the number of bets that are placed on a certain outcome – so if the favourite has a lot of people placing bets on them, then the odds for the favourite will get even shorter. However, if the underdog gets a lot of bets placed on them, then their odds will also get shorter. There are lots of reasons why lots of bets might be placed. Rumours of a training injury are just one of the reasons that could promote a flurry of bets.
You will usually get the best odds for betting on MMA at online bookmakers. High street bookmakers don’t tend to offer higher odds to customers. Competition is the main reason for this as there is a significantly higher number of online bookmakers on the market than there are high street bookmakers.
It’s still important to shop around even when using online bookmakers. This is because some might offer promotions that give bet boosts or even just offer better odds than other sites.
| Market | Description |
|---|---|
| Winner of the match | Choosing which fighter will win the bout. |
| Method of victory | Placing a bet on how the fight will end. |
| Winner and method of victory: a combination of the previous two bets | A combination of the previous two bets. This will offer better odds than each bet individually. |
| Betting on the fight going the distance | This is a bet on the fight using up all of the allocated rounds and being decided on points. |
A very useful feature that online bookmakers have introduced in recent years is the ability to cash out a bet. This can be used to your advantage and help you to win money betting on MMA even if your bet eventually loses.
How can this be true? Well, it’s simple. The cash out option allows you to cash out your bet early. If your bet looks like it is winning, then the cash out amount will be above your stake but below the amount you would have won if the bet came in. For example, if you have put a bet on a fighter to win and they are up on the judges’ scorecards, then you would be able to cash out at above your stake. If the fighter took a heavy hit in a round and it rocked them, then you might decide to cash out in order to still make a profit before the fighter you backed falls apart.
By the same token, you can also get a small return if your fighter is in a losing position. If your fighter is down on rounds, then you will be offered a cash out amount that is below your original stake but above zero.
In order to cash out, you can find the option in the live bets section of your online bookmaker.
Live streaming of top-level MMA isn’t offered at UK bookmakers. This is because all top-level MMA is offered on subscription channels and in some cases PPV channels. However, some of the very minor MMA promotions do sometimes offer events through live streaming at online bookmakers. This is very rare and doesn’t occur on a regular basis.
If you want to live stream MMA, in general, you will need to pay for the specific channel to do so.
Yes, MMA betting is completely legal in the UK. It has never been illegal as MMA has only been popular in the time after UK betting was made legal.
Live betting is another name for in-play betting. This is when you place a wager on a fight that is already taking place – for example, putting a bet on a specific fighter to win when the second round is taking place.
The main deposit methods that can be used for betting on MMA in the UK are bank transfers, card payments and e-wallets. Specific versions of each of these will be available at different bookmakers, so it’s important to check before signing up.
You are completely safe to bet on MMA in the UK as long as the bookmaker you choose to place your bet with is covered by the UKGC. This means that it is fully regulated and has legislation in place that ensures that it behaves fairly towards players. Of course, you might lose your bet still, but that is all part of the risk when gambling.
In betting terms, betting on rounds or a group of rounds is for a fighter to win by KO, TKO or disqualification during that round or group of rounds.
Take a look at our sportsbook partners page – On there you’ll find a list of our highest recommended sportsbooks. Take a look at our overviews of each to see which suits your betting style and personal requirements.
Under/Over round betting is pretty simple – A UFC round is 5 minutes long. The way half point is 2mins 30 seconds. If the fight is stop before that, its deemed under. Anything over that time is deemed over.
This completely depends on the betting operator and the type of bet you have on. It’s pretty rare in the UFC for a fight to end in a draw but in many cases an outright bet on a single winner will be void if the bout ends in a draw, which allows your wager to be refunded – This won’t be the case at every UFC betting site however so be sure to read the individual operators terms and conditions.
In most cases, if you’ve placed a wager on a fighter that goes on to be disqualified during or before the fight then you’re probably going to lose your wager.
As with any sport, there’s a great amount of value and payout to be found when betting on an underdog, especially if you were to bet on them winning in a particular round (E.g, underdog knocks out champ in round 1) While the odds will be in your favour, typically, the likelihood of that specific outcome may not be!
UFC is more exciting than unpredictable and as with any betting tip, nothing can ever be guaranteed. They can be helpful, especially when you’re new to the sport but we would always recommend taking time to research your own knowledge and basing your outcomes on that.
There are a total of 9 weight divisions in the UFC (however men don’t fight in the straw-weight division) and you’re able to bet on all of them.
If you’re lucky enough to win your MMA bet here’s how to cash out your winnings online
Then it’s just a matter of waiting. Punters should note that some payment options are faster than others for example bank transfers can take up to 5 days. Find out more about withdrawal times with different payment providers.