MMA – mixed martial arts – was relatively unknown to mainstream audiences back in the early nineties, but the success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) allowed this exciting combat sport to gain a widespread following over the past decade. This, of course, spawned a lot of online sports betting opportunities headlined by UFC betting.
Similar to boxing, UFC online betting options range from simple options, like just picking the winner, to the actual method of winning the fight, in which round the fight will be won and more. Read our guide to learn everything you need to know before betting on UFC fights.
Our experts have compiled a list of the industry’s best sites for US players to bet on MMA fights:
The genesis of UFC primetime events takes us back to November 1993 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was held at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The fights were also aired on pay-per-view highlighted by the championship match between the legendary Royce Gracie who defeated Gerard Gordeau. Later renamed UFC: The Beginning, Gracie and guys like Ken Shamrock laid a foundation for mixed martial arts to challenge boxing as the most popular combat sport in the world.
Ken Shamrock (+120) vs Tito Ortiz (-160) 1
Back in 2002, Shamrock returned to the octagon to fight “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” Tito Ortiz. Even with just 11 UFC fights under his belt, the favorite Ortiz beat the 38-year-old Shamrock via third round TKO.
Stephen Bonner and Forrest Griffin 1
The Ultimate Fighter first season final is arguably a top five UFC bout of all-time. Griffin won by unanimous decision, 29-28, and earned a six-figure contract with UFC. The deal was originally to be awarded only to the champion, but Dana White was so impressed with Bonner’s effort in the championship match, he offered the TUF’s runner-up a contract, too.
Chuck Liddell (+205) and Randy Couture (-255) 2
After losing to Couture in June of 2003 by TKO, “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell got his revenge less than a year later when he knocked the favorite out in the first round.
Jon Jones (-875) and Alexander Gustafsson (+600) 1
Some consider Jones-Gustafsson 1 a top-five UFC bout of all-time as Gustafsson, a heavy 6-to-1 dog, took the favorite Jones to the wire before “Bones” won the cards by unanimous decision, 48–47, 48–47, 49–46. Jones would win a rematch five years later, in 2018, by third round TKO.
Conor McGregor (+175) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (-215)
And what’s a walk down UFC memory lane without Conor McGregor, right? After losing to Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring the year prior, “The Notorious” one returned the the octagon in 2018 for his first UFC bout in nearly two years when he agreed to fight Khabib. The bad blood between the two rivals overstepped some bounds during the war of words, but Nurmagomedov had the last laugh as he sent the Irish fighter into an early, albeit brief, retirement with a fourth-round submission hold victory.
Let’s say you don’t have a firm grasp or lean towards one fighter over another heading into a UFC primetime bout. It’s probably not a wise use of your bankroll to bet blindly on the moneyline, right? The good news is UFC LIVE betting is available at many online sportsbooks that allows bettors to place a wager as the fight is in progress. The fight odds change on-the-fly as the bout plays out.
So, if a pre-fight underdog looks crisp in the first round, bookmakers may update their LIVE betting in-fight odds to lean more towards the dog or if the favorite comes out in the first 30 seconds of the fight and connects with a flying knee, their LIVE UFC odds may have you wishing you placed a bet before the opening bell.
Here are the latest odds for the next UFC Event
We covered fight odds in detail in the section above, but most follow the moneyline + / – format.
For example, if you want to wager on which fighter will win the bout, odds will look something like this:
| Fighter | Moneyline | Total Rounds |
| Punahele Soriano | +137 | Over 1.5 Rounds |
| Dusko Todorovic | -157 | Under 1.5 Rounds |
As you can see Todorovic is the favorite with a minus-moneyline of -157, which means every $157 wagered wins $100 should he win the fight. Soriano is the underdog at +137, which means for every $100 wagered, a Soriano victory pays $137 + bettor recoups their original bet.
By ‘study’, we don’t suggest you hunker down with a book, however, there are many ways to familiarize yourself with MMA fighting. Look at it this way—Many MMA fighters train in gyms that the public can access. Obviously, many big-name MMA fighters have personal, private training sessions, but many fighters have ‘day jobs’ are train and (albeit intense) gyms like you and me.
Take a look at the fighters’ social media account, videos, and if possible, check out their gym—MMA is a bit more transparent compared to major league sports like NBA basketball or NHL hockey, which can give you a slight edge.
Although it might sound silly, it’s knowing the details that can really help you make a well-informed MMA/UFC bet. The octagonal cage is more common and the gold-standard for UFC fights, but if you’re watching MMA in an amateur league or other leagues outside the UFC, many still use a ring. Because of the design, rings tend to benefit striking-based fighters or fights—It’s much harder to back someone into a corner than in a circular ring. The UFC has octagonal rings for this reason, since it helps eliminate the ‘cut off the ring’ fighting strategy many boxers use.
Another helpful cage fact to know (or be familiar with) is the cage size. The UFC uses two cage sizes, a 746-square foot cage (about 30-feet across) and a 518-square foot cage (about 25-feet across).
Obviously, the bigger ring leaves the fighters’ more room to move around, and a smaller ring can often mean a quicker fight—If you’re making an over/unders bet, this is helpful to know.
Unless the odds are in their favor, but for the most part, don’t blindly bet on your favourite fighter. Sometimes, historical wins aren’t the best data to base your bet on—Let’s remember Rhonda Rousey’s swift switch from winning to losing.
Have a favorite, but don’t base your bet on it, unless the data skews in their favor.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport that incorporates various forms of fighting techniques. Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, and sambo are just a few of the techniques that you will find.
Yes! We list the best online sportsbook that provide UFC and MMA betting odds. Each of the UFC gambling sites have been reviewed by our team of experts for quality.
When it comes to UFC fight night betting, you can wager on the moneyline, which is who will win the fight. You can bet the over/under on the number of rounds a fight will go. You can create a parlay bet, which is multiple bets on one ticket. Finally, there are prop bets you can make, such as how a fight will be won.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the biggest MMA organization in the world, while Bellator would be considered the second-biggest by most. There is also ONE Championship and Rizin, along with Cage Warriors and many more. However, finding odds on these smaller companies can be difficult. Every sportsbook worth its salt has UFC betting odds listed at all times.
There are nine weight classes you should know in MMA. There is strawweight (115 lb), flyweight (125 lb), bantamweight (135 lb), featherweight (145 lb), lightweight (155 lb), welterweight (170 lb), middleweight (185 lb), light heavyweight (205 lb) and heavyweight (265 lb). A catchweight is when two combatants fight at an agreed-upon weight class.
The first thing you need to do is sign up for a trustworthy and safe online sportsbook that offers UFC betting odds. We have listed our favorite betting sites at the top of the page and they have been vetted by experienced UFC bettors.
