As one of the fastest growing sports in the world, UFC betting continues to grow as well. While it used to be boxing that got all the glory, mixed martial arts have taken over, and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has led the way. With big UFC events every month, the UFC gives handicappers a lot of great fights to bet on.
How To Bet On UFC Fights Online
While the most popular bet to make is straight-up on the winner of a match, tons of prop bets are available for UFC fights. Since there are no points to keep score of, betting sites have come up with a variety of props that are fun to bet, and can be beat by smart handicappers.
UFC Money Line Bets
For UFC fights, the money line is by far the most common way to bet. The favored fighter is indicated with a negative (-) money line, and the underdog is indicated with a positive (+) money line. For calculating payouts, both types of lines are based around the $100 figure. However, the math works differently for them. Negative UFC Money Lines
On a negative money line, the number after the minus represents that amount of money needed to wager in order to win $100 in profit. So, a line of -150 means a $150 bet would result in a $100 profit if that fighter wins. Negative money line = amount to wager for $100 profit. Positive Money Lines
On a positive money line, since the underdog is considered less likely to win, it takes a smaller bet to win a larger profit. So, a positive money line of +150 means that a $100 wager would result in a $150 profit if he were to win. Positive money line = amount won from a $100 wager.
In the UFC, handicappers tend to bet on their favorite fighter, regardless of the odds. This means that if you wait until soon before the match begins, you can usually find more value on the underdog. If you want to bet on a heavy favorite, you’re generally better off doing it as soon as the lines get posted, before the bettors moved it away from you.
UFC Prop Betting
For those looking for more betting opportunities per fight, prop bets are your answer in the UFC. If money lines were the only bets available, betting sites would be leaving money on the table. Instead, they give us a number of other ways to bet on specific aspects of a match. These are called props.
- Some typical prop bets that can be made on UFC fights include:
- Will the fight go the distance or end in a knockout?
- Over/under on number of rounds a fight will go.
- Money line on # of completed rounds.
- Will fighter X win by an arm-bar?
Some props offer good value, but many of them are sucker bets. Always compare odds at several online betting sites, and compare vigorish as well.
UFC Parlay Bets
For the UFC, when you find two heavily favored fighters that you expect to win, you can either bet on them individually on the money line, or combine them onto one parlay ticket. When multiple fighters are added to a single ticket, every fighter must win, or the entire bet is lost. The benefit of parlay betting UFC fights is the increased odds you’ll get. This means you can turn a small wager into a nice profit, even when betting on heavy favorites.
The trick to smart parlay bets are keeping them realistic. In the UFC, crazy things happen. As mentioned above, if just one fighter on your parlay loses, your entire bet is lost. So, we recommend keeping your parlays down to 2-4 fighters at most. While you can score a huge win if you hit an eight-fighter parlay, the odds of winning it are terrible. 2-4 fighter parlays still pay well, and you’ll win these bets more often. If you want to bet on more fights, build multiple, smaller parlays.
Also, smaller parlays reflect closer to true odds, so even if you hit a big parlay, you’re usually paying a higher vig (juice) to the betting site.
UFC Futures Betting
Since it’s basically impossible to predict what fights will be put together, most betting sites don’t offer traditional futures bets for UFC. Instead of picking who will be the #1 fighter in his weight class at the end of the year, these bets tend to be phrased “Will ‘current champion’ be the champion at the end of the year?”
UFC Online Betting Tips
If you have a slight underdog that you expect to win, consider adding a heavy favorite and combine them onto a parlay. The odds you’ll get will be much better, and you’ll still have a good shot at a winning bet.
Always compare odds at several reputable sports betting sites. The odds can vary greatly on UFC fights, so if you’re not shopping for the best price, you’re costing yourself money. This is taboo for serious handicappers.
Since heavy favorites and popular fighters can drastically move the line, look for value on the underdog when the fight is close to beginning.
