What is the best betting strategy when it comes to UFC?

It seems with each passing day that UFC becomes even more popular with millions of punters around the world taking a keen interest in the sport. All of these new devotees have contributed towards UFC betting becoming one of the biggest online markets to punt on in the world of sports. Now, when you think of Ultimate Championship Fighting your mind is instantly filled with images of fighters choking each other out, despite all of this the blood and thunder, there is actually a method to betting on the outcome of fights. 

First off, do everything in your power to disconnect yourself from the emotional aspect of the fight given that there will be a narrative playing out in the media during the build-up. It is this narrative that is needed to fuel the pay-per-view event but it is also the obstacle that clouds a punter’s judgment in the lead up to the bout. 

So let’s say you are a patriotic Irishman and massive Conor McGregor fan, you’re always going to back the man they call the Notorious, but if you had done so during his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov then you would have suffered two very big blows. The pain of seeing your man tap out and also the pain of seeing your bet crash and burn as McGregor hit the Octagon floor repeatedly. 

But let’s say you had kept your heart out of your decision making in the build-up to that fight and instead just relied on your head to figure it all out. You would have come to the conclusion that McGregor’s lengthy absence from the ring would probably cost him against a fighter in Nurmagomedov who was at the very top of his game. McGregor said as much in 2019 when he made a shock admission about his preparation for the fight saying he wasn’t training properly in the build-up.

Of course, these things always come out in the wash but you are never going to hear as stark an admission as that during the weeks before a fight takes place, so sometimes you will have to use your discretion and act against what isn’t being said.

Indeed, whatever you do, leave emotion at the door when you are about to punt on any UFC bout. 

Heeeelp pic.twitter.com/f9gv9QeF4Y

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 8, 2020

Secondly, favour a fighter’s strengths when deciding how a certain bout is likely to end. So if you’re sure that a knockout will take place then quickly go and have a look at the record of the fighter you are punting on to see if he or she specializes in knockouts. You may well be surprised to find that they prefer to finish it with submissions instead. 

Lastly, and this really is the cardinal-rule when looking at all the MMA betting to punt on, always do your research. The temptation is to fall back on the idea of UFC being a gruesome fight to the death sport but these fighters train everyday just as a footballer or golfer would do. Just because it has a similar look to the goings-on of your local pub on a rowdy Friday night doesn’t mean these fighters get lucky, they know exactly what they are doing and always have a game plan.

You’re not always going to get it right and as Mike Tyson says, ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’, but if you stick to these three rules, you’ll come away more often than not with a profit.