Category: Sports betting

Wagering on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) can be very lucrative for bettors. We’ll take a look at ways to minimize risk while maximizing profits, especially for the bettor looking to dip their toe into the mixed-martial arts betting pool for the first time.

UFC betting: Ways to bet

Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list of today’s sports betting odds and lines.

• 2-way betting: Each individual bout can simply be wagered upon picking a straight-up winner, similar to a moneyline bet in the other major sports, with a favorite and an underdog.
• Method of victory: If you like a fighter to win, but perhaps he/she is an overwhelming favorite, you can be more specific to mitigate your risk. There are a few different ways a bout can end. A fighter can win on points, either a unanimous decision, split decision or a majority decision. The fight can also end in a draw, or tie. In addition, you can bet on a fighter to win via submission or a KO/TKO.
• Round betting: Fights which are either preliminaries or on the main card leading up to the main event/co-main events are three rounds, while main events are five rounds. You can choose a fighter to win in a certain round and/or you can bet the Over/Under on when the fight will end. For instance, if you feel the fight will go the distance, you would bet the Over.
• Double chance betting: One of my favorite betting props is double chance betting. If you are particularly interested in betting a fighter who is also a submission specialist facing another fighter with terrible defense, you might take the favorite to win by submission and points. If he doesn’t win by submission, but wins on points, or vice versa, you still win.

UFC betting: Key betting terms to know

• Favorite: The fighter who is more likely to win the fight will require more than your return on investment.
• Underdog: On the flip side, this is the fighter not expected to win. It can be more lucrative than taking the favorite, as you will return your stake and plus-money from your wager.
• Push or Draw: A wager which ends in a tie, which is not a losing ticket, but not a winning ticket, either. You simply receive your wager back.
• Chalk: This refers to a heavy favorite. For example, -200 and higher is considered heavy chalk.
• Parlay: If you were to bet two fighters to win on the 2-way line, for example, you would need to win each end of the bet to cash. You can still win a parlay if one end wins and the other is a push.

UFC betting: How do odds work?

Mixed-martial arts odds can vary greatly. Sometimes the favorite is not terribly steep, but other times, particularly in undercard events, the favorite can have rather high odds. For example, if you were to bet an overwhelming favorite at -750, you would need to risk $75 to profit just $10. An underdog wager at +190 would profit $19 on a $10 bet.

Get some sports betting action by placing a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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