Your ultimate MMA odds and betting guide

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is one of the most popular sports in the world. Alongside boxing, MMA eventually became one of the most anticipated sports in line with the most popular like football and basketball.

MMA’s best league, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), featured several legends that graced the Octagon like Israel Adesanya and Khabib Nurmagomedov. These fighters keep the league afloat and maintain the level of relevance that’s desired by MMA fans.

With great fighters showing up every year, punters are on the run to place the best MMA betting odds. What’s better than earning a few bucks while enjoying a sport that’s enjoyable? If you want to get better at MMA betting picks, check this guide out! 

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How to read MMA odds?

Fortunately, the MMA betting odds are represented similarly to other sports odds like boxing and football. Basically, favourites to win a match have negative symbols (-) while underdogs have positive symbols (+). 

Furthermore, the MMA sportsbook generally accepts $100 multiples as the base bet for most matches. However, you can bet under that number if the site allows it. 

For instance, during a matchup of Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Conor’s odds were at -125 and Khabib’s at +110. This means that the former is a 15 point favourite to the latter.

When you bet on Conor to win, you have to wager a minimum of $125 to win $100. While you need to bet $100 to win $110 on the latter. The reason for a greater payout when betting on the underdog is the risk involved.

The most common misconception around the favourites and underdogs is that the odds are fixed throughout a given period. The odds might suddenly change because of unforeseen reasons like injuries, current fighting slumps, and changed outcome trajectory. 

To win bigger payouts, knowing how to read the odds is crucial. Also, looking at the point differences between the two odds will give you an idea of who has better previous winning records or skills. The higher the gap, the greater the disparity of skill sets. 

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Betting markets you need to know

A betting market is simply a way for punters to wager on a particular fight. Here are the most common MMA betting markets that you should consider before wagering: 

Moneyline bets

Moneyline bets are the simplest forms of wagers wherein you only need to predict and place your bets on who you think will win a match. 

Spread bets

Spread betting is a way to diversify your wagers to achieve optimal payouts regardless of the risks. When spread betting, you can either bet on who the winner will be as well as how long the fight will last. 

If you think Conor McGregor can win the fight, you can spread that wager line to how many minutes he can do it. That way, you can divide your wager and earn potential high payouts. 

Outcome bets

Aside from betting on who you think will win the fight, you can also bet on how they can win it. Here are the three ways an MMA fighter can win in a single match:

Knockout

A knockout win requires a fighter to literally knock the opponent down. There are different kinds of knockout wins like the total knockout or knockdowns. The former is when the fighter is completely unconscious after a hit from the fighter. 

To constitute a knockout, the referee should make the judgement of stopping the match if they think it’s beyond the ability of the knocked-out fighter to get back up and fight again. 

On the other hand, a knockdown occurs when a fighter constantly gets hit and falls and the referee thinks that continuing the fight will lead to an eventual knockout. The biggest difference between the two is that a total knockout is only considered when the fighter is left unconscious.

Submission

Submissions are considered the most entertaining part of the match wherein fighters must perform sophisticated moves to pin down their opponents. Either an arm bar or a leg pin constitutes a submission, especially when the opponent taps out. 

Sometimes, a fighter won’t tap out despite being in a really tough position that might potentially end up breaking their limbs or getting unconscious. Either way, submission is one way of winning that most MMA fighters know how to execute. 

Decision 

Decision wins occur when both fighters are still standing. This means that neither a win by knockout or submission occurred. 

A win by decision is led by a committee of judges who will look at the number of punches or kicks landed and how the fight ended in favour of the eye test. The eye test is the metric last resort if the fight is too close to deciding on who wins. 

Each type of win has specific odds that came from a long line of data. For instance, Israel Adesanya is known to win by either a knockout or decision. This is because his fighting style revolves around hitting the enemy in meticulous ways. With this, his odds to win by decision or knockout may be higher than submission. 

Top strategies to become an expert punter

Now that you are familiar with how MMA picks and odds work, it’s time to get better at being a punter. Here are the most useful tips you can learn when MMA betting:

Learn each fighter’s history

You cannot wager blindly, especially when you are not familiar with each player. To get better at wagering, you need to know each player’s playstyle, record, and stat lines. 

When betting on a fighter, you can see who has the better shot at making it at the end of each round. This is because you know their strengths and weaknesses that aid in your hypothetical guesses. 

While it’s true that you can’t guarantee to pick the winning player as unexpected events do happen, you can at least make smart guesses that will increase your chances of winning. 

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Understand how the rules work

It’s difficult to bet on a fighter when you don’t even know how the league works. For instance, the UFC has a lot of rules that fighters need to follow, and understanding them can lead you to a clearer context of what is actually happening.

Set up a bankroll

When betting, you need to know how much you can afford and how to spread them in different betting markets. You don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket and lose them all in one go. Properly diversifying your risks and setting the right bankroll will avoid marginal returns when betting too high on a match on the single market. 

Don’t be emotional

Say you are in a situation where your favourite fighter will be featured in a marquee matchup. However, you know for a fact that the opponent is better for many reasons like age, skill, or facets like records and strengths and weaknesses. The best next step is to bet on who you think will win, not who you want to win instead. 

Bet on the favourites

While the favourite to win is not guaranteed to get the MMA championship belt at the end of the match, they are still the most likely fighter to win. Remember, bookmakers are adamant in featuring them in the odds table as the favourites for a reason.

The favourites are often regarded as the prospective winner because of better records, stat lines, talent, and overall condition. So, you will never really go wrong with betting on the favourites for the most part.

The problem with believing in the favourites too much is the risk of losing. Since you are required to bet higher amounts of money for a lower payout, losing is not an option. It’s also highly likely that favourites can lose a match. But it is regarded as a smarter move to bet on the favourites as history dictates that they win more than the underdogs.

Best fighters in the UFC to bet on

If you want to check out who the best fighters to bet on in the UFC, here are some who you should consider:

Israel Adesanya

Dubbed as the ‘The Last Stylebender’, Israel Adesanya is one of the best fighters in the UFC. Taking pride in only having one loss in his whole career, Israel has faced several legends including Anderson Silva.

Adesanya’s best skill sets are his rapid punches and calculated kicks that send opponents flying or recovering from an unwanted hit. 

Kamaru Usman 

Having a 19 fight win streak, Kamaru Usman’s power with a mix of poise and grace is what makes him a special fighter. After his untarnished 20-1 record, Kamaru is among the top fighters right now and is only beginning to pick up steam when his next fight ensues.

Amanda Nunes

Surprising the world by beating the previous champion Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes has proven why she is one of the fiercest competitors in the female UFC scene. Her powerful strikes and excellent submission techniques send opponents on their backs unconscious or in an undesirable position.

Betting on MMA fighters takes a lot more than watching the games. You need to understand how the odds work and each advantage betting markets provide. When you grasp the context of MMA and how its betting strategies work, you’re going to have a more consistent experience with your winnings when top-tier fights transpire. 

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Words: Vonn Consul