Mma betting is one of the fastest growing markets at sportsbooks worldwide. The sport has a large and passionate fan base that loves to wager on the action in the Octagon, an eight-sided enclosure where fights are held. It’s important to understand the terminology and rules of the sport before placing your MMA bets.
The moneyline is a basic MMA betting wager that offers plus money odds on the fighter you believe will win the match. Oddsmakers set moneyline prices using head-to-head matchups and a fighter’s past performance to determine their chances of winning or losing a particular fight. The resulting odds give the public an idea of how many wagers they will place on each fighter.
Moneyline odds are not always accurate, however, as fighters’ records and past performances can be misleading. A fighter with a great record may lose to a fighter with a bad record, which can happen due to injury or other factors out of a fighter’s control. Also, some fights are not as close as they seem and this can also skew the odds on a given fighter.
Another popular MMA bet is the over/under rounds total. Depending on the matchup, style of each fighter and number of rounds scheduled, oddsmakers will set an Over/Under round total for the fight and assign a price to each side of the bet (the Over/Under price plus the vig or juice). The Over/Under is determined by adding up the expected number of rounds a fighter will win and subtracting the expected number of rounds a fighter will lose.
Over/Under rounds are a good wager to make because of the amount of time a fight can last in MMA. MMA fights are typically scheduled for three or five rounds, with a one-minute break between each. Some fighters are able to fight for longer than others, while some are more likely to end the fight early by submission or knockout.
In addition to a Over/Under round bet, you can also place a Method of Victory bet. This type of MMA bet is based on the method of victory selected by the fighter. For example, a fighter who selects to win by Submission would have to win via any form of submission to result in a winning bet.
Another common MMA bet is on the Fight to the Finish prop, which is a wager on when a specific fighter will win their fight. This bet is offered at higher plus money odds than standard straight bets because a fighter must win their fight within the selected timeframe to win your wager. This bet is particularly useful for MMA fights with high scoring finishes and can be a fun way to predict how a fight will end.