As one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet, mixed martial arts (MMA) is quickly taking the betting world by storm. The action is fast-paced and explosive.
The knockouts are intense. It’s an all-out war in the ring that gives the fans a rush they’ve never felt before with combat sports.
The great news is that you don’t have to watch another fight without having a wager on it if you so choose. Betting on MMA fights, particularly in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has gained a lot of momentum, and its popularity continues to grow.
If you are interested in making some money betting on the fights, you wound up on the right page. Our team of MMA gurus took the time to organize a page that is going to satisfy your betting needs.
For those of you who are already experts on the sport and just want to know where the best online sportsbooks are, we’ve got you covered.
We don’t want to waste any of your valuable time if you are already locked and loaded with picks and just need the links. Our team spent the time to sift through the plethora of sites out there and only list the ones that meet our standards.
When it comes to online betting sites, our criteria for how we rank them leaves no stones unturned. For those of you that want the shorter version, here’s what we are looking for when coming up with our rankings.
Why These Sites?
We want you to know first and foremost that we conduct business in a professional manner. We don’t accept fees to just place sites at the top of our pages like some other review sites out there.
Our team goes through a meticulous process to ensure you will have the most enjoyable betting experience possible. The main areas we focus our attention on are the following.
Trustworthy Software
Look, if the site’s software isn’t consistently working without flaws, there’s really no point getting involved. The headaches you will endure when betting on sites, only to have their software crash in the middle of a fight, is like taking a kick to the head from Anderson Silva. Okay, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea.
If you aren’t confident that the software can be counted on, don’t waste energy betting on the site. The sites that didn’t meet our standards simply didn’t make the cut.
Reliable Banking Options
This really goes without saying. You need to know that if you win a bet on a fight that you are going to be paid out in a timely manner. You also don’t want to have to spend days just trying to deposit into the site and end up missing out on the fight or match you wanted to bet.
The sites we suggested are the ones that take your money and time seriously. Fast and secure deposit and withdrawal methods are what we look for. It’s not so much about having 11 different ways and third-parties to move funds around. It’s about having methods that are efficient and can be trusted.
Dependable Customer Service
The facts of life are that problems are bound to come up. There are few feelings more helpless than having no customer support representative available and willing to help when you need them most.
Should any issues ever arise, have faith knowing the sites listed above all come fully equipped with a staff of team members more than competent enough to handle answering your questions. They will do everything in their power to provide you with the assistance you are seeking.
Just like with their banking options, we look for speed and consistency with the customer service teams. These are the sites that check off the boxes.
Selection of Bets
In order to meet our standards of legitimate sports betting sites, we look towards the selection of bets. In this specific case of Mixed Martial Arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, we sought out the sites that were competitive in the industry. Simply offering moneyline odds on the main event fight is not enough to feed the hunger of MMA fans around the world.
Making sure all the fights on the card get the respect they deserve is important. Bettors know the edges aren’t always found in the highest-profile fights. If you think you really a have an inkling on a less-popular fight and want to place a wager, these are the sites that you can count on.
Having a full range of MMA bets used to be a bonus when ranking the sites. Now it’s a requirement.
What Does This Guide Cover?
This guide was created to provide you with all the information you could be looking for when it comes to placing wagers on MMA fights. While we will focus a significant portion of this page on betting tips and advice, we also know that highlights of past fights and who the best fighters are is nice to include.
Use the table of contents below to jump straight to the sections you are interested in. If you’re an avid fan who wants to know everything, just continue reading and enjoy the journey through Mixed Martial Arts!
Are You New to Sports Betting?
If you have never signed up for an online betting site or you have little to no experience at betting sports online, take a big, deep breath. Don’t be overwhelmed.
We know that many people are in this boat, and we want to help them get acquainted and comfortable with betting sports online before they start diving into the specifics.
It is important to take your time. Be thoughtful in the way you approach betting MMA fights. Many of you may know a lot about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, but just don’t have the experience of placing wagers at the virtual casinos.
Even if you have never placed a single bet online before, by following the tips in the link above, you will be feeling like a betting veteran in no time. The more you bet, the more relaxed you will become, which will lead to betting more efficiently.
From not shopping lines to not managing your bankroll correctly, there are a lot of “leaks” that online gamblers have. Try not to fall into that category, and be smart about the way you bet sports online.
The pages above will really help you get started. The online sports betting arena is a big, big world. There are a lot of shady sites out there and a lot of bad information from “so-called touts.” The only real way to gain a leg up on your competition is to find value.
We aren’t referring to betting on Conor McGregor at -150 when he is -170 on most sites. Obviously finding the best price is imperative, but that’s not the value we are talking about.
It can get pretty complex, but it’s essentially understanding the information you have and being able to apply it to betting. Not every -110 line carries the same amount of value.
The link above explains in much further detail what finding value in betting odds is all about.
Now that you are fully armed with knowledge about how to get started betting sports online, let’s start shifting our attention to the task at hand. This page is all about the sport of MMA and the UFC.
What Is MMA?
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a violent sport. We aren’t here to pretend there’s no blood involved and that serious injuries don’t occur. Men and women put their bodies on the line to prove they are the better and more technically sound fighter.
If you are confused about MMA and UFC, don’t be. MMA and the UFC are two completely different things that are commonly mixed up by new fans. MMA, or mixed martial arts, is the actual sport that is being done.
UFC, or the , is just one of the many organizations that arrange and put on fights. A great analogy for this is basketball and the NBA.
The sport they are playing is basketball, and the NBA is the league in which the pros play. LeBron James doesn’t “play” NBA; he plays basketball. The league in which he competes is the NBA.
Similarly, martial artists don’t “play UFC.” MMA is the sport they compete at, and the UFC is the most premier league or organization. There are other fighting associations you can bet on, and we will cover those on a separate page you can find below.
MMA is exactly what the name says. It’s the mixing of different styles of martial arts. In boxing, fighters are only allowed to use boxing techniques (punching). In judo, practitioners are only allowed to use approved judo techniques.
However, in MMA, fighters are allowed to use any and all styles they want, so long as they fit within the general rules and guidelines. We’ll go into the most common styles later, as stylistic matchups are extremely important when understanding and betting on MMA.
Fighters are matched up in a head-to-head or one-on-one format for a predetermined set of rounds and time limits. In the professional realm, rounds are typically five minutes in duration.
Most non-title fights are scheduled for three rounds, while title fights are scheduled for five rounds. The reason we say “scheduled” is that the fight can be stopped at any point and a winner decided by the ways listed below.
It’s important to know the different ways a fight can be won or stopped, as you will have the option to bet on the various “endings to a fight.”
Knockout (KO)
Pretty straightforward here, folks. If one of the fighters knocks the other fighter unconscious, the fight is over. The man or woman “left standing” is deemed the victor.
Technical Knockout (TKO)
This is similar to a knockout, the difference being that, in this situation, the other fighter is still conscious, but is not intelligently defending himself (or herself). They are effectively unconscious, but may still be “awake.”
A TKO comes at the judgment the referee, signaling the end of the fight. The old “throwing in the towel” phrase would also be considered a TKO. That is when either corner man has seen enough and doesn’t want his fighter getting hurt any longer.
Submission
When a fight ends via submission, it isn’t because the ref stopped it. A submission is when one fighter traps the other fighter in a position that forces them to “tap out.”
A fighter taps out in order to prevent catastrophic injuries, such as limbs or joints being broken or dislocated. A combatant who is struggling and decides not to tap out can also risk going unconscious.
Once a fighter’s position is severely compromised, a fighter simply taps his or her hand against the surface or his body, signaling he or she can longer continue in the fight.
Disqualification (DQ)
A fighter can be disqualified if he or she is cited by the referee for repeated use of poor conduct. Fouling on purpose, striking their opposition in the back of their head, and poking their opponent’s eyes are some of the things a referee may decide are worthy of disqualifying a fighter.
If the fight is not stopped by one of the above reasons, it is referred to as “going the distance.” At this point, a panel of three judges will score the fight.
Rather than just skim through how a fight is scored, we figured a dedicated page on breaking down MMA scoring would be appropriate.
Types of MMA Bets
Time for the good stuff. We know your priority is winning money on upcoming MMA matchups. This isn’t the old days, where you only had the option of deciding on which fighter would win a fight.
Offers such as how long a fight will last are very popular amongst the seasoned bettors now. Betting on how a fight will be won also garners a lot of attention.
MMA Betting Strategies
A lot goes into preparing for an MMA fight. Just like each fighter must prepare for his or her upcoming bout, bettors must also put the time and energy in if they want to achieve the best results. As rivalries are created, fights become more and more personal.
Knowing which fighters will be motivated to “light the house on fire” and which fighters just want to earn their check and go home will be central to placing smart wagers.
Check out our in-depth guide on MMA betting strategies to make sure you are crossing all your “t’s” and dotting all your “i’s” before you start making bets.
Other MMA Organizations
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is without a doubt the biggest and most powerful MMA organization on the planet. Nothing else is even that close. But while the other fighting associations may be less popular in notoriety, the opportunity to make some money is equally as prevalent as it is in the UFC.
Best MMA Fighters
If you are going to be betting your hard-earned money on which fighters will win and how they will be effective, you might as well get to know the fighters and their tendencies. While some fighters are better on the ground, other fighters prefer to stay “standing up.”
Obviously, understanding the goal of each fighter going into the fight is going to help you project how a fight will end and how long it could potentially take.
Whatever you do, don’t skip out on studying up the segment we created on the best MMA fighters and the fighting styles they lean on. It will add to your knowledge base and help you be fully prepared when the next fight card is airing.
MMA/UFC Highlights
Just like in all sports, MMA is known for the best fights and matches that have taken place to date. Whether it was Forrest Griffin edging out Stephan Bonnar in Las Vegas in 2005, or the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen instant classic at UFC 117, we have an organized page dedicated to all of your favorite past fights.
Putting It All Together
You landed on this page because you were looking for answers. If you were simply searching for a list of the top online betting sites for MMA contests, we took care of you at the top of the page.
Those of you who needed a refresher on how fights are scored were provided an entire separate guide on MMA scoring.
If you were seeking advice and tips about what to be looking for before you place any wagers, our expert MMA team certainly helped you out.
Of course, knowing about fighters and their tendencies is significant so you’ll know what to expect when the two fighters step into the octagon. Reliving the most debated and celebrated fights of the sport’s history will help get you amped up for upcoming fights.
The best way to attack betting the UFC, or any MMA fight for that matter, is to be thorough in your approach.
The reason we organized and divided our MMA betting guide in the fashion we did was to help you not to be so overwhelmed.
By taking a little bit of time to read through each section, you are slowly familiarizing yourself with the entirety of the betting landscape. Being a successful MMA bettor means being fully encompassed with all the nuances of the sport.
From understanding the way a fight is won and lost to knowing what happened in prior matchups, this guide should be your answer to the question you had when you clicked on this page: “How can I make money betting on MMA fights?”
Spend some time getting acquainted with all of the sections above, and you will have answered your own question.
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