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MMA: What You Need to Know about Betting on Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed martial arts is a really entertaining sport to watch, but it is also a sport that is becoming more and more popular when it comes to sports betting. Therefore, in the following guide, we are going to tell you everything that you need to know about placing bets on MMA. So, keep on reading to find out all that you need to know about MMA betting.

What is MMA?

MMA, also known as Mixed martial arts or cage fighting, is a full contact fighting sport that permits a wide range of fighting skills and techniques from a mix of other combat sports such as wrestling, boxing, karate, judo, and Muay Thai. The rules of MMA allow for fighters to throw, strike, grapple, and kick their opponent, but biting, eye gouging, head butting, groin attacks, and hair pulling are illegal. Also, striking down with the elbow, hitting the throat, back of the head, or spine are also not permitted. If a fighter continuously flouts these rules, then they will be issued a warning, have points deducted, or be disqualified from the competition.

What is the Most Popular Mixed Martial Art?

MMA is unique when compared to other types of sports due to the fact that it merges a variety of techniques into the one sport. Competitors, as we mentioned briefly above, are allowed to use different martial arts to try and defeat their opponent, and in this section of our guide, we are going to have a look at the most popular martial arts.

Boxing: This has become one of the most popular combat sports thanks to memorable boxers such as Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Floyd Mayweather. Since MMA came into being, it hs seen many fighters dominate using boxing skills. Thanks to the high probability of landing a knockout blow, boxing remains, and will remain, one of the most important disciplines used in the Octagon.

Sambo: This discipline was created in the Soviet Union back in the 1920s and it still remains very popular to this very day. Sambo is a wrestling-based discipline that places emphasis on ground control, powerful takedowns, and throwing your opponent.

Judo: This martial art originates from Japan, and it makes use of takedowns and throws in order to put your opponent in a position that allows for a lock or a choke, which will usually force the one on the receiving end to tap out and lose the match.

Muay Thai: As you can tell from the name, this martial art originated in Thailand - it is also called the “Art of Eight Limbs”. This discipline includes clinch fighting, stand-up striking, and the use of elbows and knees to knock out the opponent or score more points than them. It can be traced all the way to the 16th century, and it is now a really common discipline to see used in MMA.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From all of the MA disciplines that you will see in MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become very recognizable because it played a big role in developing the infrastructure for modern-day mixed martial arts. As can be seen from the name, this discipline originated in Brazil - it is a martial art which focuses mainly on applying submission holds and ground fighting. The main aim of BJJ is to take your opponent down, control the position, and implement a submission technique such as a leg lock, armbar, or chokehold to secure the win.

Biggest MMA Events to Watch

There are a number of MMA events that you can watch and place your money on, but they have not all been created equally. In this section of our guide, we are going to provide you with some of the biggest and best MMA events to keep an eye on and consider placing some bets on.

UFC Fight Night

The UFC is the premier MMA promotion, and it is still the biggest and best MMA event in the world. In fact, we are not exaggerating when we say that it is actually one of the fastest growing sporting events in the world. With events happening most weekends, the UFC is an MMA event that offers plenty for sports betting fans to put their money on.

Due to the popularity of this sport, you will find that all of the biggest and best sportsbooks offer a variety of markets and competitive odds for UFC betting. You will be able to bet on all of the main fights as well as the prelim fights, so you will definitely be spoiled for choice most weekends when there is Ultimate Fighting on.

Bellator

While UFC is clearly the biggest and best MMA event to bet on, there is definitely no reason why you should not think about betting on smaller MMA promotions. The Bellator might not be as big as the UFC, but it is still the second biggest MMA promotion out there. It is doing its best to compete with the likes of the UFC when it comes to viewership, but they really do still have quite some way to go.

Due to the fact that the Bellator is not as popular as the UFC, you will find that many sports betting sites only offer their punters odds for the main card fights due to the fact that the Bellator prelim fighters are often unknown local fighters. When it comes to live MMA betting, you will find fewer options than with the UFC as well.

Cage Warriors

When it comes to MMA in the United Kingdom, Cage Warriors is the top promotion. It has become the breeding ground for British MMA talent and produced quality fighters such as Conor McGregor, Paul Kelly, Michael Bisping, and Paul Daley. It is now a feeder league, with its champions usually going on to bigger and better things. All of the best sports betting sites will have markets and odds for Cage Warrior, though do not be surprised if they do not have odds for all fights.

Biggest Athletes to Watch in 2023

There are plenty of talented MMA fighters out there, which is another reason why this has become such a popular sport. We are now going to take a look at five fighters that we really do think you should watch out for in 2023.

Adrian Yanez

Yanez is an MMA fighter from America who fights in the Bantamweight division of the UFC. At the beginning of 2022, he was ranked as the 13th best fighter in the world, but it would definitely not be a surprise if he improved on this during 2023. To date, he has stepped into the octagon on 19 occasions, and he has 16 wins to his name. From this 19 fights, he has knocked out his opponent on 10 occasions, which gives you an indication as to just how brutal he can be. If you have not watched him fight yet, we recommend that you put it on your to-do list for 2023.

Alexander Volkanovski

Volkanovski is an Australian fighter that currently fights in the UFC Featherweight division, where is the reigning champion. Prior to making his debut in UFC, he was boxer, so it should come as no surprise to hear that he makes use of his boxing skills when he is fighting. In the UFC pound-for-pound rankings that were released in November, he was ranked as the number 1 fighter. At the time of writing, Volkanovski has fought 26 times and has only lost once – 12 of these wins came about via knockout, while 3 were via submission, and 10 by decision.

Jack Della Maddalena

Jack Della Maddalena is another Aussie MMA fighter who participates in the Welterweight division of the UFC. He was originally a rugby player, but when his rugby career came to an abrupt end, he decided to make the transition to MMA, and it is a decision that he will not regret as it turns out that he is an extremely talented fighter. In the six years that he has been active, he has fought on 15 occasions and has won 13 of them, with 11 wins coming via a knockout. If you are the type of person that loves to see a knockout, then you definitely need to make a point of watching him fight in 2023.

Casey O’Neill

There are some talented female MMA fighters as well, and Casey O’Neill is definitely one that you should look out for in 2023. She is a Scottish/Australian MMA fighter that currently fights in the UFC Flyweight division, and she is ranked as the 11th best female fighter in her division. We are pretty sure that she will have a very successful 2023, and we would not be surprised if she manages to improve her rankings. In her fighting career, she has only fought in 9 fights, but she has shown just how good she is by winning all of her fights.

Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev is a Russian MMA fighter who fights in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division, and at this current moment in time he is ranked at the third best fighter in this division. He first stepped into the octagon back in 2014, and since then he has fought in 19 fights which have resulted in 17 wins, 9 of which were courtesy of a knockout. He is one of our favourite fighters to watch, and we really do recommend that you make a point of noting down the dates of his fights in 2023 so you do not mis out on the action.

MMA Betting - The Different Markets You Can Bet On

When it comes to betting on MMA, there are a number of markets that you can decide to put your hard-earned money on. In this section of our guide, we are going to take a closer look at some of the most popular markets that MMA betting fans like to wager on.

Outright winner: With such a bet, all you need to do is pick one of the fighters to win the bout and if they manage to go ahead and do this, then you will win your bet and walk away with a profit.

Method of victory: As you can guess from the name of this bet type, what you are doing is putting your money on how you think the fight will finish. Ultimately, it does not matter who goes on to win, but the way that the winner achieves his/her victory. The different methods of victory in MMA are knockout, TKO, throwing the towel in, or submission.

Over/Under Rounds: The sports betting site that you have an account with will provide you with a number such as 2.5, and then you need to decide whether you think the fight will be over before 2.5 rounds have been fought or when more than 2.5 rounds have been fought. If you go for the former, you are betting on the under market, while if you go for the latter, you are betting on the over market.

Round betting: You can also put your money on whether you think the fight will go the distance, the total rounds that will make up a fight, or the exact round that the fight will come to an end in. If you feel particularly knowledgeable for a certain fight, then you can put our money on the exact round that the bout will finish as well as the method of victory.

How to Bet on the UFC

You will be glad to find out that it is extremely easy to bet on the UFC. In fact, it is no different really to going about betting on any other sport. Below we have provided you with a step-by-step guide that you can follow if you are new to placing bets on this entertaining sport.

  1. Go to your sports betting site and log in using your username and password
  2. Scroll through the list of sports and click on UFC to bring up the upcoming events and markets and odds
  3. Click on the event that you would like to bet on, and then click on the market that you want to put your money on
  4. The market will be added to a betting slip, that should appear in the bottom right
  5. Decide how much money you want to stake on this bet, and add it in the necessary box
  6. When you are completely happy with the choices that you have made, click on submit

Frequently Asked Questions about MMA

Below you can find a set of questions that are regularly asked when it comes to betting on MMA.

Can You Bet on MMA

Yes, you definitely can bet on MMA, with the UFC, Bellator, and Cage Warriors being the most popular MMA events for people to place wagers on.

Is MMA Betting Worth It

This depends on what you decide to place a bet on. If you bet on a huge favorite, then the odds are going to be really low and not worth your time, but if you can find the value bets, then MMA betting is definitely worth it. Just please remember to do your research before you jump right in and start placing bets on this sport.

Where Can I Bet for MMA?

All of the top sports betting sites will have odds and markets for betting on the MMA. Some top sportsbooks that we recommend you take a closer look at include Betiton, LeoVegas, 888Sport, Unibet, William Hill, Bwin, and Ladbrokes. These are all top sportsbooks that can offer you the betting experience you are after.

How Do MMA Betting Odds Work?

MMA betting odds work in exactly the same way that they do for any other sport that you bet on - they indicate the money that will be returned to you should you go ahead and place a wager that comes true.