MMA betting: basics and highlights
MMA stands for 'Mixed Martial Arts'. Not looking far into history, we can still say that MMA is a relatively new sport, formed in its modern form in the early 90s and received professional status in the mid-90s. In this material we talk the most important things that you need to know for those who make or want to bet on fights in bookmakers.
The young sport began to develop at a frantic pace with the emergence of organizations such as UFC, Pride and Bellator. What is the UFC? The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a sports organization based in Las Vegas, USA. It is the UFC that is most actively promoting mixed martial arts in our time, and among those who bet on the sport, UFC tournaments are in the top 10 in its popularity.
Together with the development of mixed martial arts bookmakers began to offer bets on MMA fights more and more often. At first it was ill-considered odds, low wins, small amounts of bets, but gradually bets on mixed martial arts began to win their audience of players. The spectacle of this sport only adds adrenaline when betting on it.
Types of MMA bets
On the Outcome. As with boxing, sportsbooks rarely manage to offer players more than bets on the outcome of MMA fights. That is, it is a bet on the victory of one or another fighter.
Draws are rare in MMA, so sportsbooks may not offer odds for a draw (Paris Match, Winline, Betting League) or give very high quotes for a draw (from 50.00). If there is no draw in the line, it is better to refer to the sportsbook's rules - how it will calculate the bet in case the fight ends in a draw.
On Total Rounds. If the fighters are roughly equal in terms of fighting ability, sportsbooks can offer another type of bet - on the totals of rounds.
Please note that a normal MMA fight lasts three rounds of five minutes each. But title fights (fights for the title of champion) usually last five rounds of five minutes each. This is the most important detail when betting on total rounds in MMA.
The strategy when betting on total rounds can be as follows: if the fighters are brute knockout types, the meeting often ends before the third or fifth round. If the fighters are fonder of working with various holds and technical abilities, then there is a great chance that such a fight will last all the rounds allocated for it.
It is also worth reading the sportsbook's rules regarding the exact number of rounds. Usually for bets on totals of rounds it is considered to be a fully completed round, but there are exceptions.
Early Knockout. One type of betting that often falls in the lines of sportsbooks. MMA is a cruel sport, and often fights end early with the victory of one of the fighters. Such a bet will be won if the fight did not last all the rounds set aside by the rules.
In these bets there is one important feature: not all sportsbooks equally assess the early end of the fight because of the injury of one of the fighters. In some betting sites according to the rules, the player will be returned the original stake, and in others the bet will play/lose.
Method of Victory. According to the rules of such methods there can be several. Early methods of victory include knockout, technical knockout, voluntary surrender. All rounds of victories include a win/draw by the referee's decision. Usually, a bet on how the judge's decision will be voiced: separate or unanimous, will be added as well. Sportsbooks offer a similar kind of bet on title fights or the most high-profile fights of the evening.
How to Make Good Bets on Fights
Betting on fights without rules has its own peculiarities. As in any other sport, do not think that the bookmaker somewhere made a mistake and chose the wrong odds. Each quote has a justification.
Rules of the fight
First, the player should find out in which organization the fights are held. Depending on whether he wants to bet on UFC fights or Bellator fights, you will need to understand the different rules and different nuances. The worst thing is to do the correct analysis, but not to take into account some rule of a particular organization and because of this you lose your bet. Pay attention to learning the rules.
History of matchups, study of the current form
In general, the betting strategy for the UFC, Bellator or ONE FC is about the same. In addition to standard factors such as the number of victories, fights, knockout victories, etc., MMA has its own pitfalls. For example, fighters can own completely different styles of martial arts as a base (usually either drummers or wrestlers), which is sure to make an imprint on the whole fight.
There are uncomfortable styles for specific fighters (someone does not like to fight, someone does not like to work in the rack), and they often lose for this reason. The age of the fighter is also very important - MMA fights are very intense, and with age endurance becomes lower. At the same time, age means experience, and it can play a positive role in the fight against a young opponent.
Correct assessment of each fighter's height/weight
In MMA fighters are divided into several weight classes. There is therefore such a thing as "to make weight", that is to achieve suitable weight for each fighter's weight class before the fight. This is a very important point.
If a lighter boxer goes into a heavier class for a couple of months, then to bet on such a fighter is very dangerous, because the opponent has long been working in his weight, he is comfortable, he understands the power of his and opponents' punches. A beginner in a new weight category risks quickly getting lost in the ring.
In addition to weight, there are such important indicators as height, arm length. For example, a fighter with striking technique will be easier to fight against the enemy with a smaller arm span. A taller fighter should not transfer the fight to the ground, where he loses the advantage in length. There are a lot of such subtleties, and for proper analysis it is necessary to take into account all of them.
Before major fights in different types of mixed martial arts, Legalbet also publishes free forecasts. You can read the reasoning and recommended bets from experts and handicappers on a separate page.
