Since the Ultimate Fighting Championships launched in 1993, the sport has gained a firm following. As a result, more bettors want to know how to bet on UFC fights and win those bets. If you’re one of those bettors, you’re in the right place.
In this guide, we introduce you to the sport’s rules and the betting lines available and offer several top tips on winning your UFC wagers. Additionally, we look at how to read UFC odds and place a bet online.
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of how to bet on UFC matches, it is essential that we first have an understanding of the rules, particularly the cage rules. To fully understand the betting odds used for UFC fights and which wagers are the best to put down, having a firm understanding of the sport and how the rules work is imperative. So, let’s take a look:
Since fighting is more than just a physical sport and uses mental agility and alertness, fighters often use these rules to their advantage. Some fighters tend to skirt the edges of these rules to define and determine their fighting style. However, a firm grasp of these rules makes it easy for bettors to identify a fighter’s technique and how the judges may score them, making it easier to predict the outcome of a fight and place more lucrative bets when visiting the best sportsbooks in PA.
So, how does UFC betting work? Well, it follows the same format as any other sports betting, whether you place your bets at a desktop computer or you use one of the best sports betting apps in PA.
Here, bettors take a look at the betting odds provided for specific fighters or matches provided by the various online sportsbooks. Once bettors have found odds they like, they select their chosen betting line or type of bet they want to wager.
Once bettors have done this, they will put down their money and wager their bet, and lastly, wait for the results of the fight to see whether they have won their bets.
However, to wager a lucrative or winning bet, it is essential to know how UFC odds and betting lines work. Below, we take a closer look at the odds and types of bets UFC bettors can wager on the sport.
UFC betting odds highlight for a bettor the amount they can win back if the wager they put down wins. Online sportsbooks highlight these values next to the fighter’s name. While these values typically remain similar across most sportsbooks, they can vary, which makes it essential to find the best odds by looking for the sharpest sportsbooks in PA.
While there are several ways to bet on UFC fights, these all come with odds. Additionally, there are a number of ways for sportsbooks to display these odds, including fractional, American, and decimal. However, American odds are the most common, and sportsbooks typically use them as the default, so we will look at these.
When looking at UFC betting odds, bettors will find that a sports betting site will mark one fighter as the favorite or the most likely to win, while the other receives the title of “underdog” or least likely to win the fight.
The sportsbook highlights the favorite by placing a three-number figure preceded by a minus sign (-) next to the fighter’s name. This number shows a bettor how much they need to put down on the fighter to make back $100 on their bet if the fighter wins.
In contrast, the underdog has a plus sign (+) followed by three figures next to their name. These digits indicate how much a bettor will win back if they put down $100 on the underdog and that fighter wins. Since there is a higher risk when backing the underdog, that fighter will typically have greater odds.
Bettors visiting the best UFC betting sites will discover there are several ways to back their favorite fighters. By providing more betting lines, sportsbooks offer bettors more ways to win. However, to win these bets, it is crucial to understand how they work. So, below, we take you through the most popular UFC betting lines provided and how each one operates.
When it comes to how to bet on UFC fights, one of the most straightforward wagers a bettor can place is a moneyline bet. Here, the bettor backs the fighter they predict will win the fight overall. A sportsbook will display the odds for a moneyline bet the same way as it displays regular American odds, like those discussed above. Bettors can choose to back the favorite or the underdog, and in some cases where the odds are fairly narrow, bettors may hedge their bets and back both fighters.
Totals betting provides bettors with another way to wager on the outcome of a fight but this wager is based on rounds not total score. Here, the sportsbook releases its prediction of the number of rounds opponents will make it through. Bettors must then put their money on whether they think the total rounds will be more than (over) or less than (under) what the bookie predicts. Here, the odds are also shown as American odds but will have an “O” and a “U” next to them.
However, a unique aspect of totals betting in UFC is that these lines often come with a half point, which signifies a half a round. Here, if a bettor backs a fighter with a total bet of 1.5, the fighter won’t need to make it through two full rounds; they will only need to make it past halfway in the second round.
Prop bets allow a bettor to wager on other aspects of the fight instead of the match outcome. There are a number of prop bets for bettors to wager when betting on the UFC.
Bettors can put money on whether a fighter will “Go the Distance.” Here, the bettor puts money on the prediction that the fighter will last all five rounds.
Another popular prop bet is “Inside the Distance.” In this case, the bettor puts money on the prediction that their chosen athlete will win within a set number of rounds.
While Method of Victory and Rounds betting also fall under the category of prop bets, they are more frequently bet on, so we will discuss these below. However, it is important to note that the odds applied to prop bets on UFC fights are risky, which makes it essential always to find the best odds for these lines.
Rounds betting sees a bettor put money on the round they predict the fight will end on. Since there are five rounds to a main event fight, a bettor must choose the specific round they believe will be the last round. However, unlike in totals betting, a bettor is not required to determine the exact time the round will end. For example, if you predict Tom Aspinall will drop Marcin Tybura in the third round, then Tom Aspinall is the fighter you will back in your rounds wager.
Another popular UFC prop bet is the Method of Victory wager. Here, bettors determine how their chosen fighter will win the match. However, for this to be a lucrative bet, bettors will need to know their fighters well. Understanding a particular fighter’s style and their preferred way of ending a fight compared to that of their opponent makes it easier to predict the Method of Victory accurately.
There are four ways for a UFC fight to end:
A knockout refers to when one fighter renders another unconscious or knocks them out, ending the fight.
In contrast, a technical knockout or TKO sees both fighters remaining conscious, but one fighter has lost their ability to defend themselves against their opponent. In this case, the referee calls an end to the fight.
Defeat by submission is possibly a fighter’s worst nightmare, and very rarely will any athlete end the match by submission. However, in some instances, it is required for a fighter to tap out and submit to their opponent or bow out of the match by admitting defeat.
Lastly, the fight needs to come to an end by the judges making a decision. These officials will need to score the fight based on unique criteria and then choose a winner.
Bettors wagering a Method of Victory bet will need to pick one of these outcomes as the way in which the match ends. If the fight then ends in the way the bettor predicts, the bettor wins their wager.
Now that we have covered how to bet on UFC matches, let’s look at how to go about doing this online. Before bettors can wager their bets, they will need to sign up with an online sportsbook and deposit funds to wager with. We show you how to bet on UFC fights online using our quick step-by-step guide below:
Bettors will need to open the website of their chosen online PA sportsbook. While it is simple enough to search for the site using an internet browser, it is even quicker to open the website of a top online sportsbook by clicking one of the links offered in this guide.
Once the website has opened, click the gold “Register” button on the top right of the home screen. A registration page will launch. Here, you can choose to sign in using your Yahoo! Sports or PayPal credentials. Alternatively, you can create a new account. Those who choose the latter will need to complete the registration form and create a new username and password for themselves.
Bettors can choose to either receive a text or an email that will contain a verification link. Once they have received this link, they can click it to verify their new accounts and then sign back into BetMGM with their newly-created credentials.
Once you’re signed back into your account, click the green “Deposit” button on the home screen. This will redirect you to the cashier’s page. Here, you can choose your preferred payment method and fill in the amount you would like to deposit. Then, hit “Deposit” and follow the prompts to complete your payment. Since BetMGM automatically applies its welcome bonuses, you won’t need to input a BetMGM bonus code.
Once your funds and bonus funds reflect, you can begin placing bets. So, head to BetMGM’s sportsbook and select the UFC tab from the menu on the left. Then, choose the match you want to bet on and double-click the betting line you want to back. This will populate your betting slip. Next, add in your bet value. Lastly, click “Place Bet.”
While betting on sports like the Ultimate Fighting Championship is a lot of fun, it can be challenging to place lucrative bets on the sport at first. However, the handy UFC betting tips we provide below should set you on the right track to winning big. So, let’s look:
Having a good knowledge of how these fights run, what the fouls are, and how fighters can win or lose a match makes it much easier to wager a range of UFC bets that end up paying out. When you know how the game works and combine it with fighter knowledge, you can easily judge whether the odds applied are fair and which betting lines are best to stick with or avoid.
Since the UFC falls under the category of Mixed Martial Arts, there are several styles and practices that fighters can include in the way they fight. Since there is so much variety, it is essential to understand and get to know each fighter and their specific style before wagering bets on the UFC.
While some fighters prefer an upright style that allows them to strike easily, others keep lower to the ground. Understanding these factors, combined with a fighter’s preferred stance, will make it easier to gauge how two fighters will match up.
Additionally, looking at a fighter’s stats and how they measure up to other fighters with similar styles as their upcoming opponents can help guide you in the bet you wager.
Visiting online forums like Reddit and other fighting-related sites is an excellent way to find out the latest news and updates about a fighter and their fighting style.
As you may have gathered, UFC is a highly combative sport, which naturally results in many injuries, some of which can keep a fighter out of the ring for several matches or even months or years. Bettors will want to consider severe injuries and the impact these may have on an athlete coming back into the ring.
To find this out, watching sports news and following other lines of information is a great way to stay on top of the latest insights. Here, bettors can glean information like whether a knee injury will affect a fighter’s response time and reflexes, how dependent a fighter is on the body region that carries the injury, and how long it has been since the fighter was last in the ring.
Bettors may also want to question how a fighter has been biding their time out of the ring, whether they are still in shape, if they have been training during their off period, and how they have come back after being out of the ring previously.
Lastly, it is essential to consider knockouts. While not always the case, some players who lost a fight through a knockout could have sustained a mental knock which throws them off their game. For instance, they may end up being overly cautious the next time they are in the ring and lose their edge or change their style altogether.
Keep in mind when placing bets that a UFC fight is as much about the mental aspect as it is about the physical. Fighters who have gone through some form of trauma or that are perhaps experiencing something in their personal lives may not be on top form.
The UFC, like boxing, has several weight classes. Fighters advance up and down in weight according to their competition and success in previous fights. While some fighters find it easy to maintain their weight, others struggle, particularly those moving down in a weight class.
Fighters that struggle to make weight are ones bettors should be weary of backing. Match officials conduct weigh-ins the day before a fight. Athletes close to not making their weight requirements can sometimes go to enormous lengths to ensure they meet the weight requirements. Some of these measures include overtraining, extreme dehydration, and starvation. As you can imagine, these can all severely impact a fighter’s performance in the octagon.
In addition to weight, bettors should consider a fighter’s reach or the length of their arm. Those with longer arms have greater chances of landing a strike without getting too close to their opposing fighter and can severely limit the chances of their opponent.
In UFC fighting, like boxing, fighters take on a specific stance, usually according to their handedness. Typically, Southpaw fighters are left-handed, while Orthodox fighters are right-handed. The stance a fighter takes impacts the way in which they attack and defend themselves. Since Southpaw fighters are a lot less common, Orthodox fighters often have trouble defending themselves against these opponents, putting the Southpaw fighter at an advantage. Therefore, while a Southpaw fighter may be the underdog, backing them could prove lucrative.
A “Southpaw” fighter is usually left-handed, while an “Orthodox” fighter is typically right-handed.
Bettors in PA have several online sportsbooks they can visit to place their UFC wagers. However, the best ones to visit are those that the state regulates through the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. These online betting sites all deliver a high standard of online sports betting, competitive odds, and speedy, consistent payouts. Below, is a list of the top PA online sportsbooks to visit to test out the top tips on how to bet on UFC fights.
BetMGM
Get up to $1,000 back as free bets if your first bet on the sportsbook loses
FanDuel
$1,000 No-Sweat First Bet
BetRivers
$500 bonus bet on your first sports wager
Unibet
$500 Second Chance Bet
Betway
100% bonus bet of up to $250 on first wager losses
Borgata
100% match bonus bet up to $1,000 + $20 no deposit bonus
Caesars
100% stake back bonus bet up to $1,250
Yes. Pennsylvania introduced legal sports betting in 2017, which went live shortly after the repeal of PASPA in 2018. As a result, bettors in the state can place in-person and online sports bets on a range of sports markets, including the MMA and UFC.
While most UFC betting lines are relatively straightforward to follow, bettors learning how to bet on UFC fights may want to begin with the moneyline. This is the most simple UFC bet and sees a bettor banking the fighter they predict will win the fight. Here, bettors will either back the fighter predicted to win (the favorite) or the underdog.
Most UFC bets are straightforward. While a UFC totals or over/under bet can seem challenging, a prop bet or a moneyline bet is typically the easiest bet to wager, but the moneyline is the easiest to win as the odds here are 50/50.
Pennsylvania launched online sports betting back in 2019. SInce then a number of online sportsbooks have popped up. While these sites are all regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, some provide better features and odds than others. FOr this reason, we recommend signing up with BetMGM. Here, bettors can enjoy board coverage of UFC fights, excellent odds, varied betting lines, and fantastic bonuses.
Yes. Sports bettors can wager parlay bets on UFC fights. Here, a bettor may build a parlay based on the outcome of the next three consecutive fights. However, this wager is risky as the bettor must win each of the legs that make up their parlay, in other words, accurately predict the winner of the next three fights, in order to win their wager. Since losing even one of these bets could cause them to lose their bet, the risk is high but so is the reward.
