MMA Betting – How to Make a Winning MMA Bet

Putting down a wager on MMA fights is pretty simple, but there’s a difference between just any old MMA bet and a smart MMA bet. Whether you’re betting on an individual fighter or a total, there are certain pitfalls that bettors can fall into that will hurt their odds of success. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that bettors can do to improve their chances of winning MMA wagers beyond just doing the necessary research, something that any successful sports bettor does.

One of the most common types of MMA wagers is moneyline/match bets on who will win a fight and over/under bets on how many rounds a fight will last. These are fairly easy to understand and similar to placing a moneyline bet on football or basketball games. The most important thing to keep in mind is that MMA fighters can be very different from one another in their fighting styles and that can make or break a wager. For example, a left-handed fighter can have a distinct advantage over an orthodox fighter due to their natural stance.

The odds for a fight are displayed on the MMA betting website and will display either a plus or minus symbol in front of them. This indicates how much a bettors can win for a $100 wager. If the fighter is considered a favorite, they will have a minus symbol in front of their odds, while underdogs will have a plus symbol in front of their odds. Depending on the fighters and how public money is flowing into each side of the fight, odds can shift from the time that they open to the night of the fight. Any new fighter news can also change the odds on a fight.

Understanding the odds and how public perception can affect them is essential to making a good MMA bet. This is because a sportsbook will often try to balance the money bet on each side of the bet, and if too much is placed on one side, the price for that bet may move.

Another great option for MMA wagers is the method-of-victory bet, which allows bettors to bet on how a particular fighter will win a fight. This can include a knockout, technical knockout, submission, disqualification, or a judge’s decision. Depending on the sportsbook, bettors can even place wagers on which specific round a fight will end in or the possibility of a draw. These wagers can be very lucrative as they can pay out a high payout. This is why it’s important to line shop for the best prices on these MMA bets, especially with the growth of regulated sportsbooks in the U.S.