Popular MMA tournaments take place within Russia and the United States. It therefore makes sense that betting on this sport is very popular in these two nations. Until fairly recently it was considered a niche sport. This changed around 2007 when the UFC started to become much more mainstream. As a result more gambling sites began to feature MMA markets.
Today punters have a large number of options. The best MMA bookmaking site needs to offer high potential payouts and a decent range of bet types. Some people are content with simply predicting an outright winner. However, others want more variety. Superior sites offer wagers on the number of rounds, going the distance and KOs. A great bookie will also open up MMA markets as soon as a new match is announced. Furthermore, it is important to look out for sites that cater to both mainstream and specialist MMA events.
MMA betting odds
It can be intimidating for beginners to initial understand the ins and outs of MMA wagering. However, if they have ever gambled on a boxing match they will be in familiar territory. The sport betting odds for both are very similar. This is because they share numerous elements. There are two contenders to choose from. Both boxing and MMA decide a winner after either a knockout or several rounds have been completed. The layout of MMA and boxing rings are even similar.
However, the odds for MMA can vary due to the greater amount of freedom given to the athletes in terms of fighting styles. Practically anything is fair game. Therefore, MMA matches will have an element of unpredictability to them. Sometimes a fighter will have much higher odds than their opponent due to their particular fighting style of temperament. If the ring has unusual characteristics this will also be reflected in the betting odds.
How to bet on MMA?
If punters are wondering how to bet on sport events such as MMA the answer is that there are numerous options. The most popular one is to predict the outright outcome of the fight (i.e. the winner). However, a bookmaker will usually only offer this wager when the odds of one of the athletes winning is lower than 1.01. When this occurs the gambler may back a fighter or bet on a draw instead.
It is also common for people to opt for an over/under wager. The aim is to predict whether the match will end before or after a certain number of rounds. The bookmaker may also have several prop bets on offer. They can include points handicap, method of victory and players touching gloves. Prop bets are popular because the payouts tend to be better. However, they also require the gambler to make a more specific prediction.