MMA is an adrenaline-fueled sport that merges striking and grappling techniques from a variety of martial arts disciplines. Whether you’re betting on an individual round, the method of victory or a parlay (accumulator), MMA sportsbooks offer a wide range of wagering options. But, understanding how to place a bet on MMA fights requires some education on the nuances of this complex sport.
Betting on MMA is not just about analyzing a fighter’s past fights, it also involves paying attention to their training camps. This is particularly important when a fighter is moving up or down in weight classes. Often, newer fighters struggling to make the weight will be slower in sparring and have trouble adjusting to the speed of their opponents. Conversely, more experienced fighters will be able to cut the weight quicker and are typically able to maintain their strength and speed throughout a fight.
Another key aspect of MMA betting is the knowledge of how to read a fight’s odds. Odds showcase how much a bettor can win for a $100 bet. If a bet on the underdog is priced at +200, that means a bettor can make $200 if they win their wager.
In addition to examining a fighter’s history and current form, MMA betting odds are also calculated by a number of other factors, including the overall fight market, injuries, weather forecasts and even the physics of the fighting style itself. These specialized calculations are performed by professional oddsmakers who are staffed with mathematicians and sports statisticians.
In MMA betting, the most common wager is on a Money Line, where you bet on which fighter will win the fight. However, you can also bet on a number of other types of MMA wagers, such as grouped rounds, over/under rounds and method of victory. In grouped round wagers, you bet on a specific number of rounds that the fight will last and which fighter will win those rounds. Over/Under rounds wagers are popular as MMA fights usually end within three rounds.