The MMA betting market is growing and becoming more popular. There are a lot of different ways to bet on the sport, including moneyline bets and spread bets. However, it’s important to be selective and make your wagers based on the research you do. You should also avoid placing a bet just because it’s a popular card or has some big names headlining the event.
The oddsmakers that set MMA betting lines are looking for balance when setting their prices. Understanding how they do this can help you make more profitable bets. For example, if a large amount of action is coming in on one side of a bet, they will often shift the odds in favor of the other side in order to balance out the action. This is a good thing, because it allows you to get in on a bet before it gets too expensive.
Another great way to bet on MMA is with prop bets, which are wagers that predict specific aspects of the fight. These bets are often more difficult to place than standard bets, but they can offer higher rewards. For instance, a fighter’s takedown accuracy is a common prop bet. However, it is essential to remember that this statistic can be misleading due to the small sample size of a fighter’s career. A better approach is to look at a fighter’s overall career performance, which includes both their takedown and submission attempts/defence.
Similarly, a bet on the number of significant strikes landed can be an effective prop bet. This is a subjective term that refers to striking blows that cause apparent damage. Unlike some other MMA-related prop bets, this isn’t tied to a specific round or a particular fighter. However, a fighter’s ability to connect with their opponents is still key to winning significant strikes.
Like other sports, MMA has multiple weight classes that fighters compete in. Depending on their skill level and strength, fighters will move up or down in class. These moves can change their style and approach to the octagon. For example, a fighter coming off a knockout loss may become more cautious in their fighting style to protect themselves from future KO losses.
While the MMA betting market is more volatile than other sports, it can be lucrative for those who are able to understand how the oddsmakers create their betting lines. This is especially true when betting on a full card of MMA fights. In addition to moneyline and spread bets, MMA betting offers several other types of bets. These include the over/under and method of victory. The over/under is a bet on the total number of rounds in a fight and is calculated by adding up the number of rounds expected to be completed by both fighters. Generally, the higher the over/under number, the lower the implied probability of a given outcome. The method of victory bet is a similar type of bet and allows bettors to wager on which fighter will win via inside the distance (ITD), submission, or decision.