MMA betting is one of the fastest growing sports in online gambling. This is due to a number of factors including the sport’s high entertainment value, entertaining personalities and different fighting styles. However, while MMA betting is fast growing, it does come with some unique pitfalls that can lead casual gamblers to ruin. In this article, we’ll outline a few tried and tested strategies that can help you win more MMA bets and lessen your chances of losing.
The First Step to Successful MMA Betting
There are a few different ways that you can bet on an MMA fight, but the most common is by placing a moneyline wager. This bet is based on the likelihood of a fighter winning the match and will usually feature a favorite and an underdog. The favorite will be listed with odds that include a minus sign (-) while the underdog will be listed with plus signs (+). These odds can be found on the fight card page of the sportsbook you are using and they show how much you would win for a $100 wager.
Another popular bet is the over/under rounds wager which is a bet on how many rounds the fight will last. This bet is often placed before the fight and can be made on both pre-event and live betting. When making this bet, you’ll need to know the fight length and style of each fighter. A striker focused fighter will likely go to the ground more than a grappling/grappling focused fighter and this will make it difficult for the striker to finish the fight early by KO or TKO.
Similarly, you should be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter when making this type of wager. Taking a deep dive into each fighter’s record and analyzing the quality of their opponents can provide valuable insights. It’s not uncommon for fighters to lose against a rival that isn’t of the same caliber as their current foe.
In addition to the aforementioned strategies, it’s also important to pay close attention to the camp schedules of each fighter. Often times a fighter’s training camp can provide clues about their performance in an upcoming fight. For example, if a fighter is coming off of a brutal loss they may struggle to rebound in the next bout. On the other hand, a fighter who has been in several fights may have a more relaxed camp and be prepared to adapt quickly throughout the fight.
Finally, it’s important to understand how a judge’s scorecard works when placing a bet on the winner of a fight. A majority decision will be awarded if two judges think the same fighter won 2 or more rounds. A split decision will be awarded if each judge scored the fight for a different fighter. A unanimous decision will be awarded when all three judges agree on a single fighter as the winner.
