Best MMA betting sites
It has been almost three decades since the term “Mixed Martial Arts” was first coined, in the build-up of the UFC 1 event, in Denver, Colorado. More than 500 events after that first fight, a 26-second triumph of Gerard Gordeau over Teila Tuli, the sport has become immensely popular, more than most people would expect by watching the first few fights in the octagon. MMA is now regulated, officiated by referees, and has a set of rules way more complicated than the three basic ones used in the first fights, in 1993 (no biting, no eye-gouging, and no groin shots).
Although its name and terminology are rather young, the idea of mixed martial arts is an ancient one. The greek sport of Pankration is often recognized as the oldest competitive form of MMA. Still, up until the early 90s, the idea of a mixed combat style sport was an obscure one. This has changed. Having now surpassed boxing as the most-watched combat sport, MMA betting is already incredibly popular. Especially when discussing MMA at the highest level, the number of punters who bet on UFC fights online is increasing daily. It’s those punters who ask the age-old (at least in relative terms to the sport’s young age) question: Where to bet on MMA fights? Here’s a list of the best MMA betting sites, as well as our MMA betting guide.
Top MMA betting sites
Fair and early odds
This might seem quite obvious. And it is. You have every right to look for the most profitable odds. Check everywhere, compare bookmakers. It’s your money that’s on the line. But when you try to find the best MMA betting odds you will see how big of a difference there is in comparison to traditional sports. First of all, research and odds comparison is even more important than in the case of football or basketball. UFC odds tend to vary from one bookmaker to another and can fluctuate while the fight in question approaches. What does that mean? Well, it practically means that as a bettor you need to keep an eye on the odds to bet when they’re peaking. In order to give your time the most time, check which bookmaker adds matches the earliest and not just a couple of weeks prior to the event. If you see a bookie dedicated enough to offer odds from as early as the days after the fight’s announcement, you know you have found one of the best sites for MMA betting.
Event variety
If you are looking for just a UFC betting site, not caring about the other MMA organisations and promotions, then you can skip this paragraph. You will find opportunities for UFC betting no matter which bookmaker you place your bets on. But if you do skip that paragraph, then you’ll miss what’s probably the most important line of this whole article: often the biggest value is found in other MMA events. You can spot the dedicated MMA betting websites by the number of non-UFC events they add to their list. If you are an MMA fan and want to bet on your favourite sport, you should be able to find betting offers for Bellator, ACB, FNG, Invicta, and Pancrase. A Mixed Martial Arts betting site that allows you to do so, is one that deserves your attention.
Betting types variety
Ιmagine one of the biggest MMA fights of the past few years is coming up. Let’s say it’s Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje. Or McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov. Or McGregor vs. Ferguson. So basically imagine any potential McGregor fight. You will not find a bookie not offering winner odds. But you know that’s not enough. There are so many MMA prop bets that cannot be ignored. There are over/under bets in terms of rounds. There are wagers on the method of victory. There are point handicaps and UFC spread betting. Make sure your MMA betting site focuses on different markets, so you can always find value in any match.
MMA live betting
MMA is a wild beast of a sport. Especially when we’re talking betting. In the early days of the sport, you could see very different fighters, specialised in different disciplines. You could see the judoka versus the boxer. So it would be very hard to make predictions, as you can never know which style can prove to be someone’s kryptonite. Nowadays, fighters (at least top fighters) have studied most, if not all, types of martial arts before entering the octagon. There is still, however, a distinction between “punchers”, “kickers”, and “grapplers”. Watching the first minute, or the first round of the fight can give you an idea. Even checking the live stats can help. So having a reliable UFC live betting feature should be a priority when browsing among websites.
MMA betting app
A few years ago, the most innovative thing would be betting on a sporting event via the internet. Before that, placing a bet by phone call was the new thing in wagering. We always want to go one step beyond and save time. In the 2020s it is unacceptable for a bookie not to have a mobile-friendly website, or even better an app. Check the websites listed above and if you are someone who bets on the go, choose the one with the best UFC betting app. If you are a fan of MMA betting, and quite clearly you are if you’ve read this far, and you usually do most of your betting on your smartphone or tablet, investing in a good application is the wiser choice.
User-friendly interface
Unfortunately, that’s not as self-evident as it should be, especially in 2020. Not all MMA betting websites are user-friendly, with an easy-to-use interface. When you’re on your phone or laptop to bet on MMA online, you want to navigate through a modern website or app. This goes for any sport, not just MMA, but combat sports are unique in that the bets and the markets can be quite complex, so user-friendliness matters even more.
Where to bet on MMA fights?
There is no such thing as a universally perfect betting website. Each one of us has our needs, so when looking for your ideal MMA betting website you need to do your research. The list we provide for you is a good start to narrow down your choices but in the end, nobody knows your betting ways better than you do. So the best place to bet on UFC events, or any MMA fight for what’s it worth, is the one that makes you feel comfortable and secure.
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