The sport of mixed martial arts has come a long way from its origins as an underground cage fight with no rules and no weight classes. It’s now a polished event with professional athletes and mainstream media coverage. While betting on the outcome of a fight is a popular way to watch MMA, it’s important to consider several things before placing your bets.
A majority of MMA betting handle is placed on wagers that predict which fighter will win the fight. Oddsmakers set these markets by comparing head-to-head moneylines and calculating an implied probability for each fighter. The resulting odds reflect the chance that a fighter will win by various methods including, but not limited to, knockout, submission or disqualification.
Another type of MMA betting is called point spreads. Point spreads are a form of handicapping whereby you place your bet on a specific margin of points that a fighter will win by. This bet is more difficult to place than a regular MMA bet but can have greater payouts. To be successful at MMA point spread betting, it’s best to understand the judging system used by the judges who score each fight.
When determining the winner of a particular match, it’s important to take into account how a fighter lost previous matches as well as their overall record. A lot of MMA bettors will compare the records of two fighters inside a specific weight class and assume that because FIGHTER A lost to FIGHTER B, they must lose to FIGHTER C. This thinking can mislead bettors and draw their attention away from studying fight film and examining the styles of each fighter.
In addition to looking at a fighter’s overall record, it’s also a good idea to look at the quality of the competition that they have fought against. Some fighters will spend their entire careers fighting at the same level while others will move up and down in weight classes depending on their success or ability to make the weight limit. This is an important factor to keep in mind when placing a bet on an upcoming MMA match because a fighter who has faced higher-quality opponents may be better prepared for their next fight than one who has struggled to reach the weight limit in previous contests.
A KO defeat can be devastating to a fighter’s confidence. While they won’t have suffered a physical injury from the knockout, it may cause them to be extra cautious in their approach to the octagon and can change their style drastically as a result. When laying a bet on an MMA match, it’s important to take this into consideration and avoid betting on a fighter who is coming off a KO loss.
The UFC has a variety of different betting markets in its main events but bettors can find even more options in MMA props and specialty markets. In-play wagering is available on a number of these markets but some bets are only offered pre-event. This includes the Over/Under market on how many rounds a fight will last, method of victory and other specialized bets.