The thrills and spills of MMA keep avid fans and punters coming back for more. MMA betting has grown exponentially since the turn of the century when the sport started gaining some traction as a mainstream viewing experience.

However, jumping straight in and simply picking the winner of a fight, based solely on reputation and record, isn’t necessarily going to bring the greatest rewards. There are a lot of other factors to lay out on the canvas first to explore the best of MMA betting.

With that in mind, here we present some of the main factors to consider before placing a bet on an MMA fight.

The Bookie Matters

It is not possible to measure all bookmakers by the same yardstick. Do they all offer the same MMA markets? Mostly, yes. But the odds will differ between the operators, and so where you bet is the first big factor.

By using odds comparisons, it is common to find certain bookmakers that consistently produce better odds than others for the sport. So leverage your options by comparing odds and different bookmakers, even down to those who roll out offers like price boosts.

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Markets

Expanding upon the search for the best odds and value, you will want to consider the markets you use as well. The match outright is not always the best option for a fight. If one fighter is a heavy favourite, then you aren’t going to snap up much in the way of value odds for betting on them.

These are the instances where alternative markets should be explored, like Methods Of Victory, Total Rounds and To Win In Round. These may provide better solutions in terms of odds when the outright one is not in favour.

Fighting Style

When it comes to the actual fighters, you can strengthen your MMA betting picks by taking a deep dive into areas like form and style. One such factor could be the favoured styles of the opposition fighters in a match. MMA is a diverse sport that involves striking, grappling, wrestling, and submissions.

That equates to fighters having different strengths and weaknesses in those areas, some of which can create advantages or disadvantages. If a grappler is having a tough time getting close enough to a big striker that likes to keep their distance, for example, it could cause an imbalance.

More than Form

So that’s why you can’t just look at the recent form of fighters before jumping into MMA betting. You have to assess what type of opponents a particular fighter has won and lost again, how they coped against certain styles, and in what manner their recent fights ended. Do enough of that and you will likely spot great betting opportunities.

Just because a fighter has lost their last two bouts doesn’t immediately make them a bad bet for the next one. It will again, depend on the fighter they are going up against and perhaps previous results against similar opponents.

A fighter who has been inactive for a long time may have ring rust or lack of sharpness, or a recently changed trainer could present extra variables.

Weight Class

Don’t dismiss the weight class for a fight. Talking about variables, this is a big one. Perhaps after a long sequence a fighter is dropping down from a weight class that just wasn’t suiting them. Immediately their chances of winning the next fight may go up because of the move.

There can be gulfs of quality between different weight classes. Similarly, if a fighter is making waves on a big winning streak, in their next fight they may fancy trying their hand in a higher class against an opponent that has been knocking around in that division for a long time. That’s a tougher fight right out of the gate.

In Summary

Those are just some of the main factors for MMA betting. The more you get into things, the more you will unravel. It’s a good idea to keep tabs on news stories from MMA to help you judge things like a fighter’s motivation and potential mental approach to the next fight.

That homework is important, as is having the patience to look around for the best odds in the most viable markets. MMA betting is exciting and risky, as it can take just one blow out of the blue to completely turn about on its head. Risk is always involved, but there can also be rewards with the right approach.