Football is agreed to be the most popular sport in Nigeria. MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has recently gotten followership among players worldwide. Some MMA super-stars that drew the attention of the sport to everyone include Conor McGregor, Georges St. Pierre, Jorge Masvidal, and Israel Adesanya.
Top Nigerian betting sites feature different MMA promotions. They include UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), One Championship, and KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki). This article will explore everything you should know about MMA/UFC betting.
History of MMA/UFC
Before we run through the history of MMA, let’s explore the differences between MMA and UFC. MMA is the sport while UFC is one of the promotions in MMA. Also, UFC is owned and operated by TKO Holdings. Now, let’s get to the history of MMA.
MMA is a contact sport that combines different martial arts, including taekwondo, karate, judo, wrestling, and boxing. The sport’s origin can be traced back to the Ancient Greece. Sportsmen back then engaged in hand-to-hand combat – a sport called Pankration (all powers).
MMA began to gain momentum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the introduction of different martial arts styles and professional wrestling. It later introduced new techniques like the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), which added another flavour to fights. Mitsuyo Maeda was a Japanese Judoka who came to Brazil in the early 20th century and trained the Gracie family in BJJ. The family later became the pioneers of the sport.
Then, UFC emerged in the 1990s as the biggest MMA promotion in the United States. It held its debut event with the help of the Gracie family on November 12, 1993. Royce Gracie dominated the early UFC fights with his unique fighting skills.
Today, UFC remains the most popular promotion in the MMA. Other successful MMA promotions include KSW and Bellator. But, UFC moves independently and sets its own rules in the fighting business. Recently in 2019, it announced a big partnership with ESPN – one of the biggest sporting networks worldwide.
Why You Should Bet on MMA/UFC?
One of the advantages of betting on live MMA betting or in-play betting is that it allows you to see how the fight is going before deciding on which fighter to back. Live betting odds are focused on what’s happening in a match at the moment and might not consider other technical aspects of the fight.
MMA/UFC betting also gives you the chance to win real money while enjoying the thrill and fun that come with different fights. You can also claim fantastic bonus offers from your preferred betting sites, which might increase your winning chances.
Besides bonuses, you also get competitive odds from top betting sites when you bet on different sports like MMA.
Best Markets to Bet on MMA/UFC
- Match winner (Moneyline)
This is a straightforward MMA betting market that focuses on who the winner of the fight might be. New bettors who don’t have a thorough understanding of other betting markets can focus on the match-winner market for a start. For example, if Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor Mc Gregor both have a fight – you can through your weight behind Mc Gregor to win. You’re not focused on how he does it – what’s important is that he gets the win, so you can win your bet.
- Totals (Over/Under)
This betting market allows you to predict whether the fight will take longer or shorter than the specified time by the betting site. It allows you to predict the pace of the fight and possible stoppage time. For example, when two heavyweight fighters clash, it’s expected that the match won’t take long before a winner is decided. But, the case might not be the same for female fighters.
- Futures
This betting market allows you to place a bet on which fighter will win a particular tournament or event. You might get great odds when you place this kind of bet on your preferred betting site. However, placing this kind of bet might be risky because the fighter you thought might win might get injured before the end of a tournament, which might cause him to lose the chance of winning.
- Method
This is another interesting MMA betting market that focuses on the method of victory. You might bet on whether a fighter will submit or on whether the fighter that always wins by decision will repeat it. Here are some examples of the Method of Victory betting market:
- Israel Adesanya to win by KO/TKO: 4.85
- Israel Adesanya to win by submission: 4.00
- Israel Adesanya to win by decision: 5.23
- Conor McGregor to win by KO/TKO: 2.775
- Conor McGregor to win by submission: 27.50
- Conor McGregor to win by decision 15.75
The bookmaker will release the method of victory and the odds for each fighter to go with it. Expectedly, the odds of a result will be lower if it has a higher possibility of occurrence.
- Parley
Placing a parley bet allows you to put several single bets together single bet with improved odds. Remember that all single bets in your parley bet must win for your wager to be successful.
How to Bet on MMA/UFC
- Create a New Account
You need to sign up with your preferred betting site before you can bet on MMA. Some important information you must provide includes your name, mobile number, username, and password.
- Deposit Real Money
Next, fund your new account with real money using your preferred payment option. Get on the betting site’s cashier page and choose a convenient payment option you can use to deposit and possibly, withdraw.
- Select Your Preferred Betting Market
The next thing after funding your account is to choose the betting market you want to bet on. Some MMA betting markets you can bet on include Over/Under, Parley, Method of Victory, and Futures.
- Place your Bet
You can place your bet after choosing your preferred betting market. We would advise you to spread your bet across several betting markets to increase your chances of winning.
- Withdraw Your Winnings
You can withdraw your winnings if any of your bets are successful at your preferred betting site. Check the bookmaker’s cashier page for a convenient withdrawal method you can send your winnings.
Quick Tips for Good MMA/UFC Bets
The first tip we would give players is not to focus solely on winners, but to find high-value selections. MMA/UFC games can be unpredictable sometimes. So, you need to find a betting opportunity that is more likely to happen than what the betting odds on the bookmaker’s site suggest.
Another tip for bettors is to research the betting market they want to bet on. We can’t talk about this enough because it’s the only way you get ahead in sports betting.