MMA Odds
Unlike football as basketball where there are point spreads (ex. -7, +13.5) UFC fights have odds which are called moneylines. A moneyline is basically a way for the sportsbooks to even out the betting public. So for example if Chuck Liddell was fighting a no name guy in his first fight, Liddell would be a HUGE favorite, probably around -4400 or so (44 to 1). If there was no moneyline, you could just bet on the favorite everytime, and become a millionaire pretty quickly.

Below is an actual example from a UFC fight.

Tito Ortiz (-140)

Rashad Evans (+120)

In this matchup, Tito is the favorite at -140. This means that for every $1.40 you bet, you win $1. So if you were to bet $140 on Tito, you’d win $100 (profit) if he is victorious. Rashad is the underdog in this match at +120. This means that for every $1 you bet, you will win $1.2o. So if you bet $100 on Rashad, and he wins, you will win $120 (profit).

The moneylines on UFC fights will often change with the amount of money coming in on each side. If a bunch of money is coming in on one side, the online sportsbook will adjust the moneyline to even out the action and get bettors betting on the other fighter. With that said, whatever the odds are when you place your bet, is the odds you get. They don’t change like in horse racing.

Which online sportsbooks are UFC Betting-friendly?

There are three sportsbooks from our top six  that we've tested and and used quite a bit ourselves for UFC betting.

Bodog is the ufc betting site with the most traffic. They offer some great lines for almost every mixed martial arts event, plus over/under round betting as well as a nice selection prop bets. Bodog always has odds up for UFC fights at least one month in advance. Lately Bodog has been putting up odds for Strikeforce, WEC, Dream, Bellator,and others, as well. If you like betting underdogs, Bodog has the best lines out there for this.

Bodog Carries Odds for UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream, Sengoku, and Shine Fights Fight leagues.

BetOnline is another trusted sportsbook that offers decent MMA lines.

5Dimes is out third trusted sportsbook with a full roster of UFC betting offers.

  

 

Three Tips to Help Hone Your UFC Betting Skills

 

Rule 1 – Stay away from heavy favorites
This is a huge mistake that many new bettors make. I admit, I was guilty of this as well when I first started betting on sports. In the realm of UFC betting, avoiding this rule will turn you broke quicker than anything else. I don’t ever recommend betting on someone who is above a -400 favorite. I usually only go to about -300 or so on most of my bets, and even then I don’t wager as much as I would on an underdog.

Rule 2 – Don’t bet on every single fight
When you are new to betting, there’s a tendency to bet on as many events as possible. This is horrible thinking, because there are tons of fights that neither fighter has an edge. If there is no discernible edge, then why would you lay your money on a fight? If you’re just betting on the fight for the hell of it, make sure your bet is VERY SMALL and won’t hurt your bankroll if you lose.

Rule 3 – Always look to the underdogs
If you talk to any professional sports bettor, they will tell you that to profit in the long run, you must bet on more underdogs than favorites. Especially when you are betting on UFC fights, there is a larger amount of juice on the favorites, so you need to win at a MUCH higher ratio, then if you are picking underdogs. Granted the underdogs will not win as much, but over the long haul you have a much better chance of profiting if you are betting the doggies.