Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a fast growing sports in the world.
The sport that is intrinsically connected to sports betting, considering MMA’s biggest haven—the MGM Grand Arena—is based in Las Vegas.
With promotions like the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship drawing global audiences, fans are constantly looking for ways to get involved.
Let’s first check out the beginner’s betting guide to MMA detailed below and find out the basic concepts that, if followed, are likely to make you a happy win-oriented MMA bettor:
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Table of Contents: Betting Guide to MMA
A Comprehensive Beginner’s Betting Guide to MMA
What is MMA and How Does it Work?
Most Common Techniques Uses by Most Fighters
What Are the Major MMA Promotions?
How Do MMA Betting Odds Work?
What Are the Different Types of MMA Bets?
How Does Live Betting Work in MMA?
How Do I Find Value in MMA Betting Odds?
Essential Factors to Making Winning Bets in MMA Betting
Beginner’s Betting Guide to MMA
What Are the Best MMA Betting Strategies?
How Do I Bet on the Method of Victory in MMA?
Final Remarks on MMA Betting/p>
A Comprehensive Beginner’s Betting Guide to MMA
Get the basics on betting MMA, common betting strategies, and how to find value in fights.
Whether you’re new or looking to improve, this guide will help you make better decisions.
^ TopWhat is MMA and How Does it Work?
The sport of MMA is a mix of different martial arts.
Each round usually five minutes long with non-title fights have three rounds, title fights go for five.
Men’s divisions include lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight. Women’s divisions include strawweight and flyweight.
How Do MMA Fights End?
There are four main ways an MMA fight can end:
- Knockout (KO):
A fighter is rendered unconscious by strikes.
This results in an immediate stoppage. - Technical Knockout (TKO):
Referee stops the fight. - Submission:
A fighter taps out or verbally signals. - Decision:
If no knockout, TKO, or submission occurs, judges score the fight based on performance.
Most Common Techniques Uses by Most Fighters
- Wrestlers and Grapplers:
This group lives and dies on wanting to take opponents down to the ground and scoring wins by submissions. - Strikers and Kick Boxers:
This group is known for hard-hitting punches, lethal kicks and blood-curdling strikes using elbows and knees.
Often, this group tends to focus on winning through KOs and TKOs. - Brawlers:
This is a very unpredictable group, as their fighting is a combination of anything and everything, whether the fight is on the ground or in a standup situation.
Such fighters are often dangerous, especially because of their adaptation techniques and volatile fighting skills.
Obviously, a fighter that is well-endowed with well-refined skills on ground and standup contests is more likely to beat one who is just one-sided.
Also, good fighting involves being a good attacker, just in the same way it entails being a good defender.
There are so many dynamics involved when two fighters meet.
So you must ensure that you are vastly knowledgeable about varying fighting styles and the advantages or disadvantages that come with each skill set.
^ TopWhat Are the Major MMA Promotions?
The UFC is the largest MMA organization and features the best fighters in the sport.
UFC
UFC events are broadcast worldwide and offer the most betting options due to their popularity.
Place your bets on the biggest UFC matchups today and take advantage of the best UFC betting odds
Bellator
vBellatorx is another major promotion with a strong roster of experienced fighters.
Bellator fights often provide betting value because the fighters are less well-known, and oddsmakers may overlook key details.
Bet on the latest Bellator fights and get in on the action with the best Bellator betting odds
ONE Championship
ONE Championship is based in Asia and features a mix of MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing.
Get in on the action with ONE Championship betting odds.
PFL
The PFL (Professional Fighters League) has a season-long format where fighters earn points to make the playoffs.
Join the action and bet on the excitement – sign up now for the latest odds on every thrilling fight!
Both promotions offer unique betting angles for those seeking alternative options outside of the UFC.
^ TopHow Do MMA Betting Odds Work?
It is important to understand the MMA odds.
These sportsbook odds are the ones that give value to the fights.
In American odds, the favorite has a minus sign (-200), you need to bet $200 to win $100.
The underdog has a plus sign (+200), meaning a $100 bet could win $200.
If Fighter A is -300 and Fighter B is +250, Fighter A is the favorite.
Betting $300 on Fighter A gives you $100 profit, while $100 on Fighter B gives you $250 profit if they win.
^ TopWhat Are the Different Types of MMA Bets?
MMA offers several betting options beyond just picking the winner, get to know them here with our betting guide to MMA.
Understanding these options can help you find better value.
Moneyline Bets
The moneyline is the most common MMA bet.
This is a straight bet on which fighter will win the fight.
While simple, it’s important to assess factors like fighting style, conditioning, and recent performance before betting.
Over/Under Rounds
This bet predicts how long the fight will last.
If the over/under is set at 2.5 rounds, betting the “over” means the fight must go past the halfway point of the third round.
Betting the “under” means the fight must end before that point.
Method of Victory
This bet requires predicting how the fight will end — knockout, submission, or decision.
Certain fighters have clear trends in how they win fights, making this a valuable betting option.
Round Betting
Round betting allows you to bet on each round of the fight, get higher payouts but requires careful research on fighter styles and stamina.
Prop Bets
These bets focus on specific outcomes and often provide strong odds and can be profitable if you understand fighter tendencies.
^ TopHow Does Live Betting Work in MMA?
Live betting is placing bet during the fight and the odds change based on how the action unfolds.
For example, if a strong striker struggles in early grappling exchanges, their odds may increase.
This type of action requires fast decisions and knowledge of the fighters involved.
Watching for momentum shifts, fatigue, or visible damage can provide insights that may not be reflected in the odds right away.
^ TopHow Do I Find Value in MMA Betting Odds?
Learn value betting, as it is about spotting odds that incorrectly reflect a fighter’s true chances.
This happens when the portsbooks overlook key factors like stylistic matchups or recent performance.
For example, if a strong wrestler is facing a striker with poor takedown defense.
Researching each fighter’s past performances and studying their strengths can help identify these opportunities
^ TopEssential Factors to Making Winning Bets in MMA Betting
Fighting Styles
When picking a fighter, it is important to assess the fighting techniques and styles between the fighters and whether it gives them an advantage/edge over their opponents.
Reach and Size
In MMA betting, being well-built and big-stature is not necessarily an advantage, just in the same way being small statures is not usually a disadvantage.
In regard to reach, focus is on issues such as length of arms and kicks.
For example, short opponents tend to have difficulties in controlling standup fights against taller opponents.
Assessing the reach and size of varying fighters is thus crucial.
Such small factors can easily determine aspects of fighting like landing strikes for decisions wins/losses or even getting gassed out and not being able to go the distance in lengthy fights.
Age vs. Experience
As fighters continually get older, there is often a decline in issues like speed and quick reflex.
For such reasons, younger opponents (most of whom are robust and faster) may get some advantage.
On the other hand, advanced age often comes with years of experience that can prove invaluable against inexperienced fighters, who tend to be a bit reckless and unaware of some vital fighting elements that can lead to wins.
To make well-informed betting decisions, it is thus important to find a balance in the age vs. experience issue.
While you avoid getting caught up in the hype about a promising young player or a proven veteran, as things can change very quickly.
Injuries
Many fighters who witness devastating long-term injuries find it difficult to come back to the MMA and witness sustained success.
This is usually more pronounced in fighters who’ve had bad injuries at an advanced age, like let’s say 30-plus years, because healing tends to take time.
Also, even in the case of short-term injuries, a factor like match fitness could easily affect the MMA odds.
Not to mention, coming from an injury like a broken arm makes such a fighter an easy target for more arm injuries, something that smart opponents can exploit dangerously.
It therefore goes without saying that assessing injury histories is very elemental when deciding on your wagers.
^ TopBeginner’s Betting Guide to MMA
The major types of betting in Mixed Martial Arts sports are total betting and Moneyline betting.
Here’s a preview of what both types of betting option offer:
Total Betting
In total betting, bet on whether the fight will go OVER or UNDER the number of rounds specified by the sportsbook.
For example, in a five-round bout between Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones, you’d find the total lines placed as follows:
-
Betting Guide to MMA:
Islam Makhachev vs. Jon Jones OVER 2.5 rounds (-150) -
Betting Guide to MMA:
Islam Makhachev vs. Jon Jones UNDER 2.5 rounds (-110)
In you wanted to bet OVER 2.5 rounds in this fight, you would have to wager $150 for every $100 you want to win.
On the flip side, you would have to wager $110 for every $100 you want to win.
Most Sportsbooks have minimum betting units of varied nature, so you must ensure that you know and factor in the minimum unit price in your bets.
Moneyline Betting Guide to MMA
Like most Moneyline bets, the bottom line here is to place a wager on the fighter you believe will emerge victorious.
So irrespective of whether the win will come in the form of a KO, TKO, or Decision, you will get paid for betting on the fighter that wins the bout.
Using the Makhachevvs. Jones example, here’s how the Moneyline bets would probably look like:
Islam Makhachevr (-150)
Jose Jones (+150)
In Moneylines, the fighter listed with a negative number is usually the favorite.
In our hypothetical example, Makhachevwould thus be the favorite, with Jones being the underdog.
You would therefore have to bet $150 on Makhachevto win $100.
Conversely, betting on the underdog would be more beneficial, as you would have to bet $100 on Jones to win $150.
^ TopWhat Are the Best MMA Betting Strategies?
Successful MMA betting requires research and discipline.
Follow these strategies to improve your betting results:
- Study each fighter’s strengths, weaknesses, and fight history.
- Analyze how fighters perform against certain styles, such as strikers vs. grapplers.
- Monitor weigh-ins for signs of a difficult weight cut or poor conditioning.
- Stick to a budget and avoid betting emotionally on your favorite fighters.
- Shop for the best odds by comparing sportsbooks.
How Do I Bet on the Method of Victory in MMA?
Method of victory betting is often profitable for experienced bettors.
Focus on each fighter’s tendencies to identify likely outcomes.
For example, strikers with limited grappling skills often win by knockout but struggle to secure submission victories.
Studying recent fights can reveal patterns in how fighters win or lose.
Using this information can improve your ability to predict the method of victory.
^ TopFinal Remarks on MMA Betting
All in all, MMA betting is really fun, especially if you are someone who is enthusiastic about fight-oriented sports like wrestling and boxing.
Not only this allows you to enjoy great fights, but it also allows you to learn about different fighters and make some money in the process.
Once you’ve mastered the INS-and-outs of betting on MMA lines, you can have more fun by advancing to other aspects, like placing wagers on specific nature of losses (like through KO or Decision) in a fight.
And the best part about it all is that, in our MMA betting previews, we always have free picks and guides, so you won’t have to worry about doing head-scratching researches.
All you have to do is check with us, and you’ll find pretty much all the elements and guides you need to make a good betting decision.
^ Top
MyBookie’s Sportsbook Betting Guide | Betting Guide to MMA
Since you now understand the basics of MMA betting, dive deeper into strategies and tips with MyBookie’s Betting Guide to MMA.
It’s time to enhance your MMA betting knowledge and make smarter decisions when placing wagers on the next big fight!
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