The UFC is perhaps the most Gladiator-like sporting organization that exists today. Think about it: two combatants in the middle of an arena, a ferocious crowd “oohing” and “aahing” every hit or miss, and at times, a bloody spectacle. No, it’s not for everybody, but for those that it is, it’s tough to outdo the excitement of a UFC prize fight. It also makes for a great betting opportunity and we’re about to do a deep dive on the best UFC betting sites.

Also in this article, we’ve packed an entire crash course on UFC betting. There’s a lot to go over — best UFC betting sites, how UFC betting works, valuable tips — but we’ll do our best to give you all the essential information. Taken together, this can lead to more wins than losses when UFC gambling.

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UFC Betting Online

As a bettor, one of the biggest advantages of the UFC is there’s no offseason. Therefore, it’s a year-round sport and if you master the art of wagering on it, that means you’ll have opportunities galore to rack up wins at UFC betting online.

But of course, you’ll need an online sportsbook to bet on UFC. The Internet is rife with bookie options, which can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve hand-picked the best options available with a particular eye on sportsbooks’ support of the UFC. Here are our top recommended betting sites:

BetOnline

One of the most popular online-only bookmakers in all of North America is none other than BetOnline. Established in 2007, scores of bettors use BetOnline to place bets every single day.

BetOnline’s biggest selling point is its deep wagering catalog. It covers a huge scope of sports and leagues, including MMA bets. Just about every fight — whether a main event or opener on the prelims — will have odds readily available on BetOnline.

Beyond the UFC, BetOnline has supports betting on other MMA promotions such as Bellator or Fight 2 Win. Taken altogether, the site is in the upper echelon for MMA betting sites.

Bovada

Few sportsbooks rival Bovada when it comes to betting on UFC fights. They have an entire submenu dedicated strictly to this and props are supported on a slew of fights ranging from pay-perv-views to UFC Fight Night cards.

Beyond props, Bovada also carries typical bets like moneyline and over/unders (which we’ll go over later in this article). All in all, it’s an extremely-well rounded menu and one of the best online betting sites for UFC.

MyBookie

Bonuses have become a “rite of passage” of sorts for new bettors. Almost every sportsbook offers one to new signees, but the one with perhaps the strongest incentive is MyBookie.

The betting site will match a player’s first deposit into the sportsbook dollar-for-dollar (100 percent). This bonus can be maxed out at a whopping $1000, which is no small reward.

A huge package like that is a great trampoline to start your UFC sports betting journey on MyBookie. Like its bonus, the site doesn’t shortcut players with its selection. There are moneylines, over/unders, props, and plenty more MMA sports betting to be had at MyBookie.

BetUS

If you plan to bet MMA over the long haul, you’ll want to take a look at BetUS. This bookie offers a loyalty program that rewards consistent gambling — whether that’s on UFC or any other sport.

The service functions similarly to a Las Vegas casino comp program. Essentially, the more you bet, the more rewards you’re eligible for. That includes cashback, sweepstakes entries, merchandise, and other goodies.

You also won’t have trouble getting betting UFC on BetUS. The bookie carries all the big events, which really goes a long way in earning those rewards. Hands down, BetUS is one of the best sites to bet on UFC fights.

That rounds out our top UFC betting sites. In case you’re looking for more destinations where to bet on UFC fights, have a look at the list below:

How To Bet On UFC Fights

One of the grand allures of UFC and fighting, in general, is a sense that anything can happen. After all, it takes just one perfectly-thrown strike to end a match in an instant. On one hand, this level of unpredictability makes the sport fun to watch, but on the other, tough to wager on. Nonetheless, we've done our best to illustrate how to bet on UFC fights.

For starters, there are some "unwritten rules" you should follow when MMA betting. These won't always work (see the previous example about landing a lucky hit), but over time, they'll still give you the best chance at winning UFC bets. Here are the three rules:

Styles Make Fights

Once upon a time, fighters stuck to one disciple (Muy Thai, kickboxing, wrestling, etc.) only. Mish-mashing those different styles against each other to see which would prevail — e.g. can a boxer beat a kickboxer — is what actually lead to the creation of the UFC.

Before betting on UFC, you'll need to evaluate each fighter's style and how it stacks up against each other. Of course, this is still an inexact science, but it'll at least give you a rough idea of how a fight could go. For example, say a stand-up striker who historically has a weak takedown defense is up against a fighter with an Olympic wrestling background. It's safe to say the wrestler has a strong advantage in the bout.

This approach will help you decipher fights between lower-card fighters more than top-level ones, who have less clear-cut weaknesses in their game. And not only can this info tell you which fighter will win, but also how they'll win — which is one of UFC best bets and available as a prop (more on this shortly).

Each Fight Does Long-Term Damage

The UFC is unique in that every time a combatant steps into the octagon, there's a good chance he or she will leave it a lesser fighter — especially as they age. Believe it or not, the human body isn't meant to endure the bruising punishment that most UFC fighters take.

In particular, scar tissue can build up. This skin isn't as strong as the original tissue and could be more prone to opening up mid-fight. Nate Diaz is a perfect example of this.

So pay close attention to how a fighter is performing in recent fighters. Are they a touch slower? Showing signs of decline? Cause in the UFC, when the wheels fall off, they fall apart quickly. But you might be able to predict this ahead of time by keeping close tabs on recent performance.

Do The Research

Last but not least: dig deep before making a bet. This includes looking closely at stat sheets (looking for significant strikes or takedowns, as an example), the tale of the tape, and reviewing prior fight tape. Essentially, you need to arm yourself with as much information as possible before dropping a bet on MMA.

Don't fall into the trap of purely "trusting your gut." That might win you a bet here and there, but long-term success is achieved with proper preparation. So long story short: put in the time before to get the payday after!

UFC Bets Online

In many ways, how to bet on MMA is akin to many other sports, just with a twist here and there. Next, we're going to cover the most-common UFC bets online that you'll come across:

Moneyline

The most straight-to-the-point UFC bet is moneyline, which is a bet on who will a fight outright. Bookies will denote the favorite with negative (-) odds, while the underdog has a positive (+) line.

For instance, let's say Connor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are continuing their rivalry in the octagon. The pre-fight line might be -155 for Khabib, while McGregor is +125. Payout-wise, what this means is a $155 bet on Khabib pays $100 in the event he wins. In contrast, a $100 bet toward Connor that hits would return $125.

Over/Unders

In the UFC, over/unders work a little different than standard sports that set the total on combined points scored. Here, you're betting on when the fight will be finished by.

So using the same McGregor-Khabib example from above. Let's pretend its a championship fight, which is five rounds (non-title matches are three). The over/under might be set at 3.5 rounds.

If McGregor wins via second-round knockout, the under hits. But say Khabib wins by judges scorecard, it's the over.

The half-way point on the over/under line sometimes throws off bettors. Since UFC rounds are five minutes apiece, that half-spread means the 2:30 mark of a given round.

Props

Props are bets on specific outcomes within a fight. Typically, these are more "fun" events beyond who just who wins or loses.

In the UFC's case, the exact method of victory is a popular prop on most fights. Here, bettor's need to select how the bout will end — knockout, submission, or decision. That's just one example, but other props include over/under on how many takedowns will happen or which matchup will be selected "Fight of the Night" by UFC brass, amongst others.

Parlays

Parlays aren't specific to UFC by any means but they are completely doable with the sport. For novice bettors, a UFC parlay is when you bet on at least two events, but the catch is it's together. Therefore, both bets need to pan out in order to cash in the ticket.

Obviously, you're taking on extra risk with muli-leg parlays, but the reward also follows suit. Parlays payout significantly more than straight-up wagers.

If you're going to do parlays, we advise to either keep the wagered amount or the legs in the parlay in a small number. Never and we mean never overisk it. Don't let the potential payday — no matter how big it is — cloud your judgment.

That puts a lid on our UFC betting guide. While there's plenty more to learn, what we just covered makes up the foundation of UFC fight betting. Now it's on you to build atop this foundation!

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