Does betting on MMA differ from other sports?

Conor McGregorAs MMA has grown in popularity, so has gambling on the sport. A lot of people have noticed that the sport differs somewhat from others when it comes to the gambling markets. It’s an individual sport, of course, which makes it a different proposition to betting on soccer, football, basketball or any team sport. It’s […]

Conor McGregor

As MMA has grown in popularity, so has gambling on the sport. A lot of people have noticed that the sport differs somewhat from others when it comes to the gambling markets. It’s an individual sport, of course, which makes it a different proposition to betting on soccer, football, basketball or any team sport. It’s also a little different from other combat sports, as we will explore in this guide.

When you use a sportsbook site such as Mr Green sports betting to bet on MMA, you will notice that there are quite a few markets to choose between, but what does this mean? What are your options for gambling on the upcoming huge MMA fights?

Is MMA more predictable than other sports?

In a way, yes. MMA fighting only has two real potential outcomes in terms of who is going to win the fight, and there is often a strong favorite in this, anyway. For instance, when Khabib fights, you know he is likely to be a strong favorite if he is going to be fighting somebody with a much lower ranking.

You might think this is great for gambling, but predictable isn’t good for getting great odds. This can mean it is more of a challenge to find decent prices. If a fighter is 1/33 to beat the other, then there is really very little value in backing them, so there are some other markets that might be more appealing and provide you with better odds.

MMA markets

Of course, betting on MMA is different from other sports, as every sport has its own nuanced differences. The closest sport to MMA when it comes to gambling is boxing. It has a lot of parallels, due to the fact that it is split into rounds, and that there are only two fighters involved.

Common MMA markets include:

  • Winner. This is the simplest of all of the markets, as you are just choosing who you think is going to win the bout. If you think the underdog is going to win the day or you are gambling on a pretty even fight, you might find some value.
  • Fight outcome. Slightly different to the winner of the fight – you are actually looking at how the fight will end. Outcomes include draw, win by decision, or knockout/technical knockout wins.
  • Rounds. This is when you bet on how many rounds there will be in the fight. How long do you think the fighters will actually go? Like boxing, the number of rounds that a fight has scheduled changes depending on the actual bout. Of course, if there is a knockout or retirement then the fight ends and any further rounds are cancelled.
  • Round betting with outcomes. Gamblers choose when the fight will end, and how (such as one of the fighters to win in a particular manner, in a certain round).
  • To go the distance. This is all about whether or not the fight will go the full distance and be decided according to points or not.
  • Points betting. There may be markets such as how many points a fighter will get, which obviously assumes that the decision will go to points.

Other gambling options

When you use a popular online sports betting company, you will have a lot of different options for gambling, and many will give “specials” for the biggest fights and for the competition, so you might be able to bet on alternative markets provided by online bookmakers.

Of course, as with virtually every other sport, you can make use of parlay betting, which can help you to get better odds. If there is a full fight card and you feel like you know what is going to happen in each of the fights, or who is going to be victorious, then why not combine these selections? A parlay bet does increase the risk, as all of the outcomes have to come through for you. However, it is also an opportunity to win big.

Parlay betting is supported by most of the biggest sportsbook gambling companies.

Conclusion

Every sport is slightly different for gambling. Those who enjoy MMA will find that as time goes on, more and more bookmakers will enter the sector, extending choices for being able to bet on the sport, its outcomes and some of the more intricate details, such as how far the fight will go in terms of rounds or how it will be won, as well as who will win.