MMA Betting
MMA betting is one of the fastest-growing markets at online sportsbooks worldwide. It’s a high-octane sport that seamlessly blends striking and grappling techniques from a wide variety of martial arts disciplines. This growing popularity has given rise to a new breed of fan, one that’s interested in betting on the action inside and outside the octagon.
While MMA is an adrenaline-fueled sport, successful bettors need to approach it with careful research and thoughtful analysis. Betting on MMA requires a good understanding of the sport, its history and the nuances of each fighter’s fighting style. Moreover, MMA betting relies on the ability to interpret fight stats and predict fighter outcomes based on their style, which is a complex task that can be intimidating to novice bettors.
The most basic MMA betting wager is a moneyline bet, where you place a wager on a specific outcome of a fight. Oddsmakers set these odds using head-to-head matchups, calculating an implied probability for each fighter and then assigning a corresponding bet price. The higher the fighter’s implied probability, the lower the bet price. Oddsmakers may also use a plus/minus symbol to represent the difference in a bet price between two fighters.
Aside from the moneyline, MMA bettors can also make wagers on the over/under rounds total of a fight. The over/under rounds total is a bet on how many rounds the fight will last. Rounds in MMA fights are typically scheduled for either 1.5 or 2.5, and the over/under is set based on the implied probability that the total will be reached.
MMA bettors can also place Method of Victory bets, which are wagers on whether the fight will end by knockout, submission or judges’ decision. These bets are made as the fight unfolds and are dynamic, with the odds constantly changing based on the action inside the cage. They can be placed alongside other MMA betting wagers, including parlays, which combine multiple bet selections into a single wager with a greater potential payout.
Several factors influence fight odds, including the fighters’ records and the quality of their opponents. A fighter’s record matters because it shapes public perception and influences bookmakers’ evaluations of their skill level. It’s also important to consider a fighter’s style, such as strikers versus grapplers, and their stance (orthodox or southpaw), which can affect how well they match up with their opponents. Lastly, injuries and weight cuts can affect a fighter’s performance and thus impact the odds.