Mixed martial arts betting is one of the fastest-growing markets at online sportsbooks. The sport has a massive following, particularly in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where high-profile fights attract mainstream attention and generate enormous hype. Regardless of whether you’re betting on the UFC or other promotions, it’s important to understand the basics of MMA betting before placing your wagers.
MMA betting involves predicting which fighter will win a given matchup. The oddsmakers will set head-to-head moneylines for each match, calculating each fighter’s implied probability to win and then setting the moneyline prices accordingly. Fighters with a higher overall winning percentage are considered the favorite, while those with a lower win percentage are installed as underdogs.
A key factor to consider when assessing a fighter’s chances of winning is their record against higher-level opponents. A fighter’s wins and losses may look impressive on paper, but it’s worth looking closer at the circumstances surrounding those victories and defeats. For example, a fighter’s losses may have come in tightly contested matches against elite-level competition, while their wins have occurred against lesser opposition.
In addition to a straight-up bet on which fighter will win, you can also place OVER/UNDER round betting wagers on MMA matches. The over/under is the total number of rounds a fight is expected to last. Depending on the matchup, styles of both fighters, and how many rounds are scheduled for a given contest, the oddsmakers will set an Over/Under for each match and price the sides accordingly.
Round betting is especially popular in MMA because of the sport’s aggressive style. In fact, many of the most exciting UFC fights end in dramatic fashion by way of a knockout or submission finish. When analyzing round betting odds, be sure to take into account how often the fighters have scored knockout finishes in their previous fights.
Mma betting sites will also offer OVER/UNDER betting on the number of knockouts and submissions in each round of a given fight. This bet type can prove lucrative if you correctly predict how many knockouts and submissions will occur in each round of the fight. In a typical three-round fight, the over/under will be 1.5 rounds. For a five-round contest, the over/under will be 2.5 rounds. A hypothetical matchup between M. Bison and Colonel William F. Guile from Street Fighter would have OVER/UNDER round betting odds of +120 to +140, respectively. You can make these types of bets during the fight as well, but you’ll have to pay a bit more for the privilege. The extra cost is known as vig or juice. This extra cost is designed to prevent bettors from chasing the OVER and causing the Over to become too short. It also helps keep the Under and Over betting lines balanced. The OVER/UNDER bets are usually the best bets to place for round-by-round betting in MMA fights.