UFC Betting Odds

What Is UFC Betting and How Does It Work?

With UFC still being quite new - the Ultimate Fighting Championship was only founded in 1993 - many sports fans might still be unsure about how it all works despite its rising popularity.

One of the important things to clarify here is the difference between UFC and MMA. In short, UFC can be considered a type of MMA, though it is in essence also a separate entity. The UFC has 12 weight divisions in total - eight for male fighters and four for female - and the infamous figure of Dana White, the president of the UFC, acts as the main figurehead for the body. MMA is the sport itself, with UFC a promotional organisation that runs a range of MMA events. A way to explain it is that basketball is the sport and the NBA is the organisation: NBA is not a sport.

Betting on UFC involves a range of markets including betting on which fighter will win, as well as whether the fight goes the distance and how many rounds it takes for a winner to emerge. As with other sports, fans can pick from ante-post markets - which are often available months in events for the top MMA cards - and betting live once the fighting action gets underway. Various UFC betting specials are offered too, such as for a certain fighter to win a world title in future.

UFC Rules and Format

Each UFC event features a series of fights, with a preliminary undercard getting things up and running as the night builds up to the main event between two of the top stars of MMA at the time.

It is typically the case that there are around 10 fights at a UFC event, with five on the main card.

UFC is famous for previously using the tagline "there are no rules" but the organisation actually abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts these days. What this means is competitors must fight in approved shorts and barefoot, while only light gloves can be worn by the fighters.

Every round is five minutes in duration and most UFC fights apart from the main event take place over three rounds. The main event is typically then held over five rounds, with the fighters given a rest period of one minute in order to recuperate before the action resumes once more.

The ten-point must system is used for all UFC fights with various potential outcomes in the event no fighter forces a stoppage: unanimous decision, majority decision, split decision, unanimous draw, majority draw, and split draw. The rules of MMA include that there is no head-butting, biting or spitting allowed, with hair pulling and fish-hooking also prohibited. Eye gouging of any kind is not allowed either, with groin attacks also included on the list of fouls which could lead to a no-contest outcome.

A variety of weight classes are used in MMA and the UFC, for both male and female fighters:

Weight class & Upper weight limit

• Strawweight - 115 lb (52.2 kg)
• Flyweight - 125 lb (56.7 kg)
• Bantamweight - 135 lb (61.2 kg)
• Featherweight - 145 lb (65.8 kg)
• Lightweight - 155 lb (70.3 kg)
• Super lightweight - 165 lb (74.8 kg)
• Welterweight - 170 lb (77.1 kg)
• Super welterweight - 175 lb (79.4 kg)
• Middleweight - 185 lb (83.9 kg)
• Super middleweight - 195 lb (88.5 kg)
• Light heavyweight - 205 lb (93.0 kg)
• Cruiserweight - 225 lb (102.1 kg)
• Heavyweight - 265 lb (120.2 kg)

For women fighters who want to get into the ring, it is usually the case in MMA that there are only titles up for grabs in four weight classes: strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight.

However, in some MMA organisations that have women's bouts on their cards, there is sometimes also another weight class that has been slotted in at the lower end of the scale - which is called atomweight - which has an upper weight limit of 105 pounds (48 kg).

UFC Betting Tips and Strategies

MMA bouts are famously hard to predict, but some betting tips and strategies can be useful for those who want to wager on the UFC.

Underdog victories are relatively common in MMA, which is great news for fight fans looking to scoop a lot of profit from their bets. Finding value is key when betting on all types of sports, and this is particularly important to keep in mind for MMA, where the bookmakers are prone to making the star name a clear favourite regardless of their actual chances of winning the fight.

Research is always going to give people more chance of winning MMA bets, as with any other sport. There is a wealth of information out there these days, with those who are really serious about betting on the UFC often watching old bouts to get hints as to a fighter's quality. Some fighters are naturally going to be better suited to a certain type of opponent, which is worth keeping in mind, while how much rest they have had since their last fight is also important.

Keeping a close eye on the latest MMA news is vital when trying to win bets on the sport. Due to the fact that the sport is so physically demanding, it is common for fighters to collect injuries during training that may affect them when they get into the ring to take part in a bout. How much these knocks will have an impact is hard to predict, but betting on a fighter who is reportedly struggling due to an injury is always going to be risky, so it might be better to avoid them.

The form book can help a lot too. Some MMA stars are famous for winning their bouts by a certain method, which would likely make this a very good choice for their next fight. Others are more unpredictable and can win their bouts in a wide range of methods, including by decision. Stats are useful but it is important to be aware of how they can be misleading. Lots of internet sites out there provide a valuable resource when it comes to MMA data and past performance. However, jabs are often excluded from the data for significant strikes, which is a notable omission. Certain fighters rely heavily on the jab and in these cases, their numbers are not going to look as impressive when compared to an operator who does not use the jab quite as much.

Monitoring MMA odds is a good way to make a profit as they can move so quickly. Ante-post MMA markets are often available weeks and even months in advance of the biggest bouts. This means fans of the sport can take a big price on an underdog and then see their odds come down as the weeks go by, giving them a chance to lock in guaranteed profit via an exchange.

Fight fans who love tuning into the action have more opportunities to profit thanks to live in-play betting that is widely available on the top MMA action such as the UFC main event. Often, even in the first few seconds of a fight, it will become clear which competitor is on top. This means those who are quick to place live in-play bets on the MMA stand a great chance of winning.

Following tipsters on the MMA helps some people, but others prefer to make their own wagers based on research conducted via great resources such as Tapology, Sherdog and MMA Junkie.