UFC has quickly become one of the more popular sports out there, and equally as popular in the sports betting world. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the largest MMA company in the world. Led by President Dana White, the UFC hosts top-ranked fighters in fights all across the world. The UFC took some time to become very popular, but after the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, it found its stride. The first fight after the show had ended hosted Chuck Liddell against Randy Couture at UFC 52, and doubled the pay-per-view audience of the previous highest, UFC 40. This fight put UFC on the map and the popularity of it has continued to grow since then. At the end of 2006 was when the UFC really hit the milestone they were hoping for, with UFC 66 (Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell) posting a total of over 1 million pay-per-view buys. Today mixed martial arts is being taught at gyms all across the world as teenagers hope to compete in one of the most popular, fastest growing sports out there.
UFC Odds and Betting Types
There are multiple ways to bet on UFC fights, with the most popular of course being a bet on who will win the fight outright. In these bets you’re betting on one fighter against another, and the odds will vary depending on many things, including both fighters records and how well each fighter has fought recently. For example, if fighter A is -350, their opponent fighter B may be +275. What this means is that if you bet on fighter A to win the fight, you’ll get 2 to 7 odds on that bet, and if you bet fighter B you’ll get 11/4 odds. Of course you get paid more for betting the +275, but this would just mean that fighter A is a fairly big favorite over fighter B and is predicted to win the fight.
Another type of bet that is offered in UFC are prop bets. There are two specifically popular prop bets, which are either predicting which round a fighter will win in, or predicting which round the fight will end in. Some of these bets are a bit easier than others, with championship fights being set at five rounds, and all others set at three rounds. If you were to place a bet on a prop in a three round fight, the odds won’t be nearly as good as they would be if you were to place that same bet in a championship fight. Prop bets are some of the most interesting bets out there for UFC, and should definitely be something to consider.
Major UFC Events to Bet On
There are quite a few different options of UFC events to bet on, with the most popular being the “numbered” events, like UFC 175. These events have multiple different fights, with a “main card” that has the biggest fights listed on it. These events also typically have belt fights, which feature one fighter who already holds the belt, and a fighter who is attempting to be the champion of their weight class and get the belt. The numbered events are typically played on pay-per-view. There is also the Ultimate Fighter fights, which is a TV show shown on Spike TV in a tournament format. The biggest event is the Ultimate Fighter Finale, which is the final fight for the show and tournament. Ultimate Fight Night Live and UFC Live on Versus are two other popular events as well. Ultimate Fight Night Live is typically used as a lead-in for season premieres of the Ultimate Fighter and are free on Spike, while UFC Live on Versus airs for free on Versus, of course.
There are typically one to three total events per month, all depending on the fighters and how much attention the events draw. Events have been hosted all over the world from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Oberhausen, Germany, all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada. While the bulk of the events are hosted in the United States, recently there has been quite a few events overseas; as the sport’s popularity continues to grow at a rapid rate.
UFC Betting Tips and Strategy
When betting on a prop bet, you always need to be sure to research each fighter carefully. Check multiple things, from a fighter’s record, to the amount of knockout’s (KO’s), and technical knockout’s (TKO’s). A fighter’s past fights are a great way to measure their possible success in future fights. On top of watching out for KO’s and TKO’s, make sure to check on the fighter’s number of decisions as well. The more knockouts and technical knockouts a fighter gets, typically means one of two things; either the fighter is incredibly good, or has fought some very weak opponents (which is something to check on as well). If a fighter has quite a few decisions, you again need to watch the quality of fighters that they have been fighting.
Just like any other sport, it’s always important to watch a fighters recent fights. If you’re betting on a prop bet, check which round the fights have typically been ending in and see if you can see an advantage on a possible bet for which round the fight may end in. Also though, when you’re betting a fight, it’s important to be watch each fighters’ fighting styles. A great spot to bet on a decision is when you have two fighters who have similar fighting styles. If two fighters are closely matched and have the same style of fighting, the fight typically has the potential to go for a while; which leads to a good possible bet on a decision.
Although betting on any sport is never a sure thing, it’s very, very possible to be a profitable UFC bettor. Just remember to make sure that you do your research, and that you’re always putting yourself in the best spot to take down the win. Check a few sites for the odds, and get out there and place some bets on the next big UFC event!
Best UFC Sportsbooks
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