Betting Basics - UFC

With stars such as Conor McGregor, UFC has seen a significant increase in its popularity in recent years. This has gone hand in hand with an increase in the amount of people who choose UFC as a sport to bet on. With its similarities to boxing and other mixed martial arts some of the markets may be familiar to you, however there are some key differences when it comes to the format of the sport and things you should be considering before having a bet.

UFC Format

A UFC fight is comprised of three five-minute rounds. A championship fight, however, is stretched to five rounds.

A UFC fight comprises of three 5-minute rounds with title fights being five rounds of 5 minutes. As with other combat sports there are a variety of ways in which a fight can end.

UFC Methods of Victory

Decision – Following the completion of all the rounds, the winners is decided by the judges’ scorecards.

Knockout – The fight is stopped as one of the fighters is unable to continue following a strike from their opponent.

Technical knockout – In this instance the referee will stop the fight if he/she deems that one of the fighters is no longer able to defend themselves. The fight is stop to protect the fighter from long term damage.

Submission – This is where one of the fighters taps out after being placed in a submission hold by their opponent. If the fighter can’t physically tap out they can give verbal instructions to the referee to submit.

Technical submission – The referee will stop the fight if he/she feels a fighter is in danger of injury through the submission hold or if they have become unconscious due to a choke hold.

Doctor stoppage – At the end of each round a doctor will check the fighters to ensure they are fit to continue. If they deem the fighter cannot continue the fight will be stopped. This is common when a fighter has sustained a particularly bad cut which may be hindering their vision and ability to defend themselves.

Retirement – At the end of a round one of the fighters may decide to retire. This is not that common and usually is due to the fight being extremely one sided.

Popular Betting Markets

Outright Winner – This is a simple market where you are choosing the fighter you think will win the fight.

Method of Victory – With some many different ways to be crowned the winner, betting on which method is very popular betting market.

Number of Rounds – This market requires you to select the total number of rounds in a fight. This is a popular market as it does not require you to select a fighter to win and therefore covers you for any surprise results.

Parlays/Prop bets – This is where you are selecting multiple things to happen. You may choose the fighter to win, the round the fight will end and the method of victory. Due to the fact you are reliant on multiple events the odds on these markets are often much bigger than the other markets.

BettorMind Advice

Research – When betting on a new sport or one you are not too familiar with it is important to research into events before having a bet. Different fighters will have different skill sets. Some may possess explosive power and show a history of winning via knockout, whilst others may be more technical fighters who have shown a skill for causing fighters to submit. These factors will impact the betting markets you choose and should form part of your decision-making process.

Planning – UFC events predominantly take place in the USA. Therefore, the main events of the night may not take place until 3 or 4am in the morning. If you are going to bet on these events make sure you give yourself ample time to do so. This may also mean you are unable to watch the events as they happen. Watching back events is a great way of learning more about the sport and also a way of developing your skill set when it comes to betting on the sport.

UFC continues to grow, and big events are happening all the time. This means there are plenty of chance for you to have a bet. Taking on board our advice at BettorMind will enable you to get the most enjoyment from your UFC bets.