MMA Bet Types
MMA, a.k.a. mixed martial arts, is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Its popularity is increasing all the time, not only among sports fans, but bettors at online sportbooks as well. One of the reasons why is that there are plenty of interesting MMA betting markets to choose from, and we’re now going to discuss some of them. If you find that some of the terms used about MMA betting in this article are unclear, refer to our beginner's guide to online MMA betting.
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Moneyline Betting
By far the most popular of all MMA bet types, as well in most sports betting online, the moneyline market requires you to choose the winner of the fight. You just need to put your money on one of the two fighters and if he/she wins, you get the money. If they lose, you lose too.
So, what happens in the case of a draw? In most cases, it’s not possible to bet on a draw, the reason being that such things happen extremely rarely. This is why most bookies only offer 2-way moneyline betting in MMA, and if a draw does happen, the bet is void.
Method of Victory
When it comes to moneyline betting, what matters is who wins the fight, not how the fight is won. If you would like to bet on how the match ends, the type of wager you’re looking for is the method of victory. Because an MMA fight can end in several ways, there are a couple of variations of this bet.
Win by Knockout
Arguably the most spectacular of all fight-ending methods, the knockout is pretty common in MMA. And there are some fighters who are famous for finishing fights this way, Connor McGregor included.
You can bet that the fight will finish with a knockout, but you can also take it a step further and bet on what kind of knockout it’s going to be. There are two types of knockouts, regular knockout (KO) and technical knockout (TKO).
KO or simply knockout refers to the situation in which a fighter is knocked out and can’t get back on his feet before the ref counts to ten. The technical knockout (TKO) happens if a fighter is unable to continue the fight due to an injury. The TKO can be proclaimed by the injured fighter, but also their team or even the referee.
Win by Submission
Another common method of victory in MMA is submission. It happens when the losing fighter taps out. Alternatively, if the fighter has passed out, the ref has the right to end the fight.
Although knockouts still top the list of most common MMA fight-ending methods, submission is not far behind. Plus, some of the leading MMA fighters are true specialists when it comes to submitting the opponent. One of the best examples is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who’s won almost half of his bouts this way.
Win by Decision
If the fight ends with both fighters standing on their feet, the three judges are the ones whose job is to decide the winner. Each judge has to score each fighter, after which the winner is proclaimed.
You can bet that an MMA fight will be declared by the judges’ decision, as well as bet on how the judges will vote. These are your options:
- Unanimous Decision – If one of the fighters is scored by all of the judges, he’s declared the winner by unanimous decision.
- Split-Decision – This is a scenario in which two judges score one fighter as the winner, while the third judge goes for his opponent.
- Majority Decision – If two judges score one fighter, while the third scores a draw, the win by majority decision is proclaimed.
Win Inside the Distance
‘Going the distance’ is a phrase referring to the full number of rounds. If you bet that a fight will go the distance, you’re putting your money that both fighters will end the match on their feet. In this case, you bet that the winner will be decided by the judges, rather than KO, TKO, or submission.
‘Win inside the distance’ is just the opposite of ‘going the distance’. With this wager, you’re placing your money that the fight will finish before the final bell.
Round Betting
Although it depends on the competition, generally speaking, an MMA fight usually has between three and five rounds. Three-round fights are usually prelims, while the main fights of the evening have five rounds.
Regardless of how many rounds there might be, the maximum duration of a round is five minutes. If you think the two fighters have enough stamina to withstand all the rounds of the fight, you ought to bet that the match will go the distance.
If you think the fight will end sooner, you can bet on the number of rounds. Apart from betting on the exact number of rounds, many books offer the over/under round market. These MMA bet types come in the form of O/U 1.5 rounds, O/U 2.5 rounds, and so on.
Outrights & Specials
It’s fair to say that there is at least one major MMA event happening every weekend, whether it’s UFC, Bellator, or some other championship. You don’t have to bet on the fights from the event happening the next weekend; you can bet on future events as well.
The so-called outright MMA betting markets let you put money on the winners of fights happening weeks or even months into the future. Then, there are also some special bets you can wager your money on. We’re talking about MMA betting types like the following:
- Who will finish the year at the top of the pound-for-pound (p4p) ranking?
- Is there going to be Connor vs Khabib fight in 2020?
- What year will Khabib Nurmagomedov lose his first UFC match?
The best thing is that there are some books that will let you come up with your own MMA betting proposals. If you have an interesting bet in mind, which you can’t find in the betting offer of the bookie, it’s worth giving them a suggestion.
