New to MMA betting? A guide to the different types of bet you can place 

MMA is gaining new fans and enthusiasts all the time. For many, laying down a couple of dollars before the fight is all part of the fun and makes it even more exciting. This has been made easier than ever since so many US states have opened up online sports betting markets that you can access from your laptop or even your phone.  

But there is more to MMA betting than simply putting a couple of dollars on one or other of the fighters – or at least, there can be. Here, we will lift the lid on the different types of bet you can place on MMA.  

Moneyline 

MMA betting doesn’t get any simpler than this. A moneyline bet is simply a wager on who will win the encounter. It’s the most popular type of bet, so if you want to keep things simple, read no further, but instead consult a MMA odds guide, decide who to back and place your bet! 

Parlay 

Sometimes known as an accumulator or a multiplier, this is a bet consisting of multiple parts. For example, suppose you backed Makhachev to beat Oliveira, Sterling to defeat Dillashaw and Yan to beat O’Malley at UFC 280.  On this occasion, you called the first two results correctly, but O’Malley defeated Yan by a split decision. You would have won nothing, as a parlay bet requires you to get every part right. Parlays can pay out generous rewards, but that is because it is so difficult to call them just right, as the above example shows. 

Over/under 

Here’s a type of bet that is becoming extremely popular in MMA. It has nothing to do with who wins, but with how long the fight will last. The bookmaker will post a “par” figure, and you can bet on whether the fight will go over or under that number of rounds. Usually, the par is 2.5, but 3.5 is also quite common, while 1.5 might sometimes be posted if there are two particularly attacking fighters involved. 

Method of victory 

Again, this bet does not contemplate the winner (unless you want to combine it with a moneyline bet) but instead, how the fight will end. There are several nuanced variations on this wager. For example, you could simply bet that the fight will finish inside the distance or that it will end due to a submission or a knock out.  

Live bets 

A special type of bet that only became feasible thanks to online sports books is the live bet. Here, you can place any type of bet while the fight is actually taking place. The bookmakers will be adjusting the odds all the time, so you need to act quickly and decisively. Live betting is fast and furious, but be careful not to get carried away, and always stick to your gambling limits. Live betting first became popular with soccer, but bookmakers are increasingly offering this alternative with other sports, including MMA.