In the year 2022 there are numerous content creators providing content for UFC fans to enjoy. That number continues to grow on a daily basis as the sport of mixed martial arts grows in popularity. Within this sea of content you will find a niche community that is all about betting on combat sports.

One of the things that tends to be forgotten, or at least not made a priority, is content that attempts to teach the reader how to bet on UFC fights. In this article we would like to bridge that gap and provide our readers with a complex and complete look into betting on UFC events. We will discuss the general best practices, betting odds and what they mean, and dive deep into parlays.

HOW MMA FITS INTO THE SPORTS BETTING WORLD

It is important to recognize that MMA as a whole, and even the UFC which is the largest organization, are a relatively small part of the sports betting world. Combat sports have almost always been centered around boxing historically. However mixed martial arts are now making up for lost time and gaining market share at a rapid pace.

While the sport of mixed martial arts has been steady in gaining fans and popularity, it absolutely exploded into the sports betting scene directly following the suspension of most sports leagues in 2020 due to the threat of a global pandemic. The one sport that found a way to proceed, thus making them the only game in town was mixed martial arts. Specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This endeared the sport to many new fans, and sports bettors around the world as it was the only game in town. 

While the additional popularity was great for the sport, most sports have since returned and this pushed the mixed martial arts betting focus back down the list of priorities for the casino’s and sportsbooks. Sportsbooks have fallen in love with the gambler, not the sharp betting professional, and they treat betting on UFC no differently. This lack of attention leaves plenty of opportunity for sharp UFC bettors to find value, errors in the betting lines, and maximize their return on investment on a week over week basis. 

WHERE ODDS COME FROM AND WHAT THEY MEAN

While there are numerous sportsbooks out there, and they all have different odds available for a given outcome, it is important to know that they are all based on the odds coming from one location. Most of you probably just assumed that the location referenced was Las Vegas, but in reality that is not accurate. The location of the world that almost all sportsbook odds are based on is Europe. Europe has been miles ahead of the United States and other countries when it comes to sports betting, and the rest of the world is just playing catch up. Nevada is the leading location for sports betting, and really all other forms of gambling, within the United States however.

When a line is first released, it is generally only bet on by professional gamblers, or what the sportsbooks call “sharps”. The reason for this is because most books that do ban professional players or limit betting action don’t even open their line until it has been set by one of the premier books that don’t limit their action. 

One of the books to pay special attention to is Pinnacle for this reason. They do not ban players for winning too much or set limits on how much a player can bet. From this other sportsbooks can get a great sense of where the line should truly be, and then set their line accordingly. The process of determining the odds on a particular platform is mostly determined by a handful of European sportsbooks and then copied across the industry once the line settles. This is how the sports betting market is set.

Fortunately for UFC bettors, MMA is not a niche market that the books are overly interested in at this point. So generally you will have an opportunity to take advantage of slow reaction times as many books neglect to move their lines until they notice that they have moved significantly on the large market setting books. This gives us the opportunity to make some great profit on really poorly adjusted betting lines.

THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE

After going through the general background of how UFC betting fits into the sports betting world, how the MMA odds are set, and how the industry works – there should be one logical conclusion drawn. That conclusion is that there is money to be made by betting on UFC!

To make that money we invite you to check out our featured sportsbooks located HERE so that you can start getting involved and seeing your profit materialize by betting on UFC events. When you sign up with any of our five featured betting partners and make a qualifying deposit, let us know and we will say thank you by sending you $50 cash on the platform of your choice!