How to place bets on UFC fights?
Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes, Henry Cejudo – if you’re a fan of UFC, you’ll already know these names, and more. What you might not know, however, is that it’s possible to place bets on them, and potentially kick off your own winning streak as well. But what do you need to know in order to bet on UFC, and what should you be taking into account before placing any wagers? Let’s take a look.
UFC betting made simple
Before you can make informed betting decisions about UFC fights, you’ll need to know a little about the sport, the various fighters, and their fight history. If you’re an avid fan, you may already have a good grasp of this. If you’re new to the sport, however, you might need a little inside info.
Essentially, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a company that represents and promotes MMA (or Mixed Martial Arts), a sport that’s become hugely popular in recent years thanks to its outspoken and colourful fighters. While it may look similar to boxing, in fact, there are far fewer rules, due to MMA being a full-contact sport with a combination of techniques from a variety of combat sports and martial arts. With moves such as striking, grappling and strangleholds allowed, fights can become fairly brutal at times, with the octagon ring no stranger to its share of blood and sweat.
Thanks to their popularity, the male and female fighters of the UFC have a vast worldwide following and can command huge sums of money for their appearances. Additionally, premium fights often offer bonuses to fighters, along with a percentage of PPV (Pay-Per-View) sales. As a result, the UFC is a hugely lucrative enterprise, and, with the help of UFC sports betting, one that you can start to cash in on.
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Betting on UFC fighters
Similar to boxing, UFC fights are scheduled across different weight classes, with matches organised for both male and female fighters. Usually, the highest odds of winning are given to the most popular fighters, who’ve made a name for themselves either by winning belts or by being stand-out fighters. The more popular a fighter is, the more wagers will be made on them, and the more winnings will potentially be paid out.
This type of betting is known as match betting, with each match bet being made on one individual fight. Forms of match betting include betting on the number of rounds in a match – either five rounds in a fight for a belt or three rounds in a standard UFC bout. Fights are adjudicated by judges, as in boxing, and can either be won on points or a knockout.
Other forms of match betting involve choosing the round in which a fight will come to an end, how the losing fighter was taken down, and how the win was executed – the last bet being one for more experienced, informed UFC fans.
Long-term UFC betting
If you’d prefer another form of betting, you can choose to make long-term UFC bets instead. These types of bets can stretch months into the future, for example betting on whether a fight that has yet to be confirmed will actually be confirmed, or whether it won’t take place at all.
Given the various negotiations that take place around certain fights between fighters and the UFC president, Dana White, long-term bets have been proven to be very attractive to UFC fans. Adding to the popularity of this type of betting is the fact that negotiations can often become controversial too, with legal problems sometimes occurring due to the actions of certain players, whether due to doping, domestic disputes, or fights taking place outside the ring.
In order to know whether any of these issues will arise ahead of matches being confirmed, and therefore being bet on one way or the other, it’s crucial that you have a good understanding of UFC fighters’ behaviour, and the specific fighters involved in any long-term fights you may be considering for wagers.
Which UFC fights are best to bet on?
If you’re thinking about placing a bet on an actual UFC fight, it’s best to go with one that’s been heavily marketed and features popular fighters competing for a title, or popular fighters on an overall card. If you bet on a title fight, but the other matches leading up to it feature less well-known players, it’ll be difficult to make a significant amount of money on a bet. However, if both the title fighters and those on the rest of the card are popular, you can be sure there’s a substantial amount of money to be won.
It’s for this reason that UFC fights are numbered, allowing you to plan your bets in advance, and allowing for large sums of money to be wagered on the most popular fighters. It’s also where controversy and disputes can be an important factor, helping to build awareness for the fights, leading to more money being bet, and ultimately paid out.
As you can see, with the number of elements that go into planning a UFC fight, it’s vital that you do the necessary research ahead of time, and to find a venue that’s most suited to take your wager. If you’d prefer to place your bets online, there are plenty of sports betting sites you’ll be able to sign up with and play through.
If you’d rather be there in person, however, you can choose to place your bets in cities such as Vegas, where many of the most popular fights take place. Just make sure you’ve done your homework, you know who’s fighting, if there’s any controversy surrounding the fight, and who the public thinks will win. Once you’ve taken all these considerations into account, you’ll be able to place your bets from an informed standpoint, with the odds hopefully in your favour. Will you be victorious by the end of the fight? Only time and fate will tell!
