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A Guide to Betting on the UFC

Introduction to MMA

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, is the largest promoter of mixed martial arts, or MMA, in the world. Many of the top fighters made their names competing in UFC events that have a large viewership and were held in some of the biggest venues across the world.

This was not always the case. The UFC was established in 1993 and at first, it only had a small following. The huge financial support and rise of some legendary fighters helped increase the popularity of the sport. Today, UFC fights gain massive mainstream media coverage, with a huge following around the world, and it has become a multibillion-dollar enterprise.

Fighters such as Conor Mcgregor, Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvial, and Anderson Silva, amongst many more, became household names through their achievements. As MMA has less rules than other fighting sports, this allows fighters to develop their own techniques, making fights extremely exciting to watch. Some use more aggressive kicking and striking, using their agility and strength to overcome opponents, while others may use more traditional wrestling grapples and holds to beat their opponents.

The fights are held in cages and consist of either three or five rounds of 5 minutes each. The fighters receive points for their strikes, and they can win fights by accumulating more points than their opponents do, by achieving a knockout, or by a technical knockout.

In UFC, there are 12 different weight classes:

The heavyweight division which starts from 120.2 kg or 256 lb
The light heavyweight division that starts from 102.1 kg or 205 lb
The middleweight division that starts from 83.9 kg or 185 lb
The welterweight division that starts from 77.1 kg or 170 lb
The lightweight division that starts from 70.3 kg or 155 lb
The women’s and men’s featherweight division that starts from 65.8 kg or 145 lb
The women’s and men’s bantamweight division that starts from 61.2 kg or 135 lb
The women’s and men’s flyweight division that starts from 56.7 kg or 125 lb
The women’s strawweight division that starts from 52.5 kg or 115 lb

UFC Betting Guide

UFC Bets

Moneyline

Moneylines are two way bets where punters can put money on one of the fighters to win in a fight. In a lightweight fight between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier for example, there will be a bet on Oliveira to win the fight and a bet on Poirier to win. The odds on either fighter will indicate how likely they are to win.

Total Rounds

This bet allows punters to bet on how many rounds they think the fight will last. For three round fights, there will be two betting lines: 1.5 and 2.5. Bettors need to pick one of the betting lines and bet on whether the fight will finish with over that number of rounds or under that number of rounds. If a bet was placed on under 1.5 for example, the fight will need to be won in the first round. If the bet is on over 1.5, the fight will need to last 2 or 3 rounds.

For five round fights, there will be even more betting lines: 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5.

Win by Submission

There may be bets offered on one of the fighters to win by submission. If a bet is placed on Oliveira to win against Poirer by submission, it will require Poirer to submit in any of the rounds.

Win by Decision

Bettors can place money on one of the fighters to win by decision. This means that the fight should last the full three or five rounds, and the chosen fighter needs to win for the bet to pay out.

Fight to End in a Draw

Though it is rare, it is possible for fights to finish in a draw. This bet is a simple yes or no bet on whether the fight will end without a winner. The odds for a fight to finish in a draw are usually extremely long, and conversely the odds on the fight to finish with a winner are very short.

Fight to Go the Distance

This is a bet on whether the fight will last the full three or five rounds. Like the bet on the fight to end in a draw, it is a simple yes or no bet. It does not matter which of the fighters wins or if the fight ends in a draw.

Other Bets

Other bets that may be available are variations of the bets listed above as well as bets that relate to things that may or may not happen in a fight. In a fight between Oliveira and Poirier, there may be bets such as Oliveira to win in the second round, Poirer to win and the fight to go the distance, or Oliveira to win by submission in the first round. These are basically combinations of the bets listed above.

There may be bets on details such as which fighter will draw the first blood, which fighter will land more strikes in a specific round, how many takedowns will one fighter achieve, and so on.

Live Bets

All the main bets mentioned above will be available in the live betting markets. The odds will be updated in real-time to reflect the action in the cage, which means that there is the chance of spotting some exciting betting opportunities.