How to Bet UFC Events at a Sportsbook
With UFC now on TV/streaming in one form or another nearly every week, there is no shortage of ways to get bet on UFC events. From traditional moneyline bets to methods of victory, today we take a look at a few ways to bet on UFC events, as well as discuss a few strategies to cash in on the action.
Let’s take a closer look.
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Types of Bets on UFC Events
Moneyline Bets
Just like with traditional sports money bets, UFC moneyline bets are when a bettor simply chooses a fighter to win. If oddsmakers decide that two fighters have an identical probability to win a given fight, the moneyline will be -110 on both sides. For those unfamiliar with the concept of moneylines, a -110 moneyline simply means a bettor would have to bet $110 to win $100, $11 to win $10, and so on.
Also like traditional sports moneyline bets, however, moneylines are rarely -110 on both sides. When it comes to championship fights which we see on most pay-per-view cards, the champion is often a heavy favorite, reaching as high as -700 in some recent bouts.
Total Rounds
Also like some traditional sports such as basketball and football that have an over/under, total rounds allowed bettors to wager on whether a fight will go over or under a certain number of rounds. For regular, non-championship fights, total rounds are usually set at 1.5 as there can be a maximum of total rounds. While it depends on the fighters involved, the over or under is typically juiced accordingly.
Method of Victory
This type of UFC event bet is exactly as it sounds; choosing the method of victory in which a fighter will win, which includes by decision, TKO/KO, and submission. Depending on a fighter’s tendencies, such as a tendency to stand and strike or take fights to the ground, TKO/KO or submission could be favored accordingly. Similarly, for fighters who have historically lacked the ability to finish fights inside the distance, the decision method of victory might be juiced.
Strategy for Making UFC Event Bets
When it comes to betting via any method on UFC events, fight history and fight metrics are the two most important categories of information to look at. While fight history is self-explanatory, fight metrics would include significant strikes landed per 15 minutes, significant strikes accuracy, average takedowns per 15 minutes, takedown accuracy, and submission average per 15 minutes, amongst others.
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Whether you're new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our 101 section - including How to Bet on Sports - or head to more advanced strategy - like 10 Tips to Become a Sharper Sports Bettor - to learn more.
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