Trent Reinsmith 
Trent Reinsmith 
Top Online Sportsbooks to Bet on UFC
Are you looking for the top sportsbook to bet on UFC? You’ve come to the right place! We reviewed the best UFC betting sites to bring you
- The best overall UFC betting site
- The best mobile UFC betting sportsbook
- The sportsbook with the best odds for UFC
- The best UFC betting bonus
- The sportsbook with the best UFC betting specials and props
Bovada is our top sportsbook for UFC
It’s really hard to beat Bovada in the sports betting business because they do everything at such a high level. Even among the top UFC betting sites, they really stand out. That’s why we have chosen Bovada as the best overall sportsbook for UFC betting in 2023.
The website design is simple and effective with nothing to create extra noise that could distract you. Bovada gives new players who choose Bitcoin as their first deposit method an insane $4.500 in welcome bonuses split between the sportsbook, casino, horse-racing book, and poker.
Bovada’s UFC lines are not the most generous ones, but they are nevertheless competitive.
We like especially the futures for matches that have not been set up yet but could be, as was the case with the potential meeting of Kamaru Usman and Conor McGregor back in 2022 (Usman was a heavy favorite at -700 vs McGregor’s +450). In this case, if you had staked your money on the Usman vs McGregor fight, you would have been refunded due to the fight not taking place in 2022.
BetOnline is the top mobile sportsbook for UFC betting
We absolutely love BetOnline’s mobile design and it was an easy choice to name BetOnline the top mobile sportsbook in 2023. The green lines pop up from the white background and everything is in its correct place. On the default view, you’ll have a menu on the bottom with shortcuts to Cashier, Sports, Live betting, Casino, and a small menu for access to Racebook, Poker, Esports, Contests, Promos, and Login/Logout. It’s simple, but everything is there all the time, in the correct place (again).
They offer plenty of future fights with a deadline, like a possible Nate Diaz vs Dustin Poirier fight that needs to happen before August 1st or you’ll get your money back. If that fight was to take place, Poirier would be a clear favorite at -400 vs Diaz’s +300.
It’s a joy to navigate around the mobile site at BetOnline, and if you’re thinking about which sportsbook to choose to bet on UFC on mobile, you will not find a better option than BetOnline.
MyBookie offers the best UFC betting lines
To find the best UFC betting odds, you need to shop around every time you’re about to make a bet. For one event and one fighter, Bovada might have the best line, and for some other event and another fighter, BetOnline might have the best line.
But where MyBookie beats both Bovada and BetOnline is the selection of types of UFC bets: Bovada and BetOnline only display money lines as the default, but MyBookie displays also the Over/Under for UFC betting. We love this.
For Future fights, MyBookie has often the exact same lines as Bovada.
XBet is the best new UFC Betting Site
XBet is a relatively new UFC sports betting site compared to out Top-3 UFC betting sites, but they are performing like a seasoned veteran in the octagon.
As you can see, their lines are a little more conservative than with the TOP-3 UFC betting sites, but the difference can be bridged by using the XBet sports betting bonus. Check more details about Xbet and their bonus from our XBet Review by clicking the Review-button on the table at top of this page.
*Did you expect to find FanDuel, BetMGM or DraftKings on this page? We are sorry to inform you that they don’t offer sports betting in all 50 states, yet. While they are good sportsbooks, they can’t offer the same odds or bonuses to you as Bovada, BetOnline and XBet, because they are spending a lot of money in lobbying efforts and advertising to get a bigger slice of the US sports betting cake. Choose one of our partners and you’ll be taken care of – that’s a promise!
UFC Betting Strategy
It is important to know how to bet on UFC fights beforehand. Because you will only get the chance to bet on MMA fights about once a month, you should prepare to make sure you’re making the best UFC bets. So what to do first to start betting with UFC?
Your first step towards successful UFC betting is to learn which types of bets you can make for UFC. You can do a lot of preparing and know exactly how to bet on UFC, but without a top betting site or bet type, your MMA betting strategy will simply not take off.
How to Read UFC Odds
Knowing how to read and understand UFC odds is vital before you decide to bet on UFC fights, it’s also quite straightforward once you see them in action. Similar to most major sports the betting favorite is represented with the lower figure, usually a minus (-) and the underdog is the higher figure, typically a positive one (+). These American odds and can also be represented as fractional odds or decimal odds, ultimately they serve the same function.
An example of how UFC odds look for a favorite vs an underdog.In the image above, the bookmaker has listed the favorite as -150 and the underdog as +180. What that means is a bettor would have to place a wager of $150 on Fighter A to win $100 on the favorite, or only $100 on Fighter B to win $180 as the underdog.
UFC Betting Explained
Now that you know how to read UFC odds, you are probably wondering what types of bets are available for UFC fights. Similarities can be drawn between betting on other combat sports such as boxing. The moneyline for the main event of major UFC events is usually released months in advance, whereas the props such as round betting and method of victory are typically released a week or two ahead of the event.
Types of Bets
There are three main types of bets in the UFC. These are also known as UFC betting markets and include the moneyline, round betting, and method of victory. Below is a breakdown of each type of UFC bet you can place on a fighter.
UFC Rematch Betting Strategy
Now that you know how do ufc odds work let’s focus on some aspects that can help our overall betting strategy for UFC fights. In UFC rematches, the victor of the first contest wins the rematch approximately 68% of the time. Out of the 28 title fights that had an immediate rematch, 19 times the winner of the initial bout won the second as well.
Rematch Odds
In rematches, the odds are often not as strong as they were for the initial fight. For example, in the first matchup between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, Jones was a -1000 favorite over Gustafsson, who was a +485 underdog. In the rematch, Jones was a -340 favorite over the +125 Gustafsson.
Time Between Fights
When looking at rematches, it’s also important to look at the time between the fights and how the fighters’ have either progressed or regressed. For example, the first time Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway fought was in February 2012. At the time, Holloway only had four pro fights and was making his UFC debut. Poirier was a -714 favorite over Holloway, who was a +325 underdog. Poirier won that fight by first-round submission.
The next time Poirier and Holloway faced off was April 2019. When that fight took place, Holloway was the featherweight champion and had won 13 contests in a row. The odds for that rematch saw Holloway come in as a -256 favorite over Poirier, who was a +165 underdog. Poirier won the rematch by unanimous decision.
Opening UFC Odds
Typically UFC betting odds for contests between big-name competitors are released shortly after the fights are made official. The betting lines for an entire UFC card are released in full early during fight week. Las Vegas odds are typical not released until a bout has been officially confirmed, as to avoid the early money going on a line that was set incorrectly and losing profits.
Advantages
One of the reasons to bet early is to take advantage of potential mistakes in the early odds. If bookmakers don’t have complete information on a fighter, the odds could be in a bettor’s favor. Another advantage is that the odds could be advantageous before the action begins to come in on the competitors.
Disadvantages
Some disadvantages of betting early include potential injury to a fighter, a bad weight cut, the market making the odds more favorable and a lack of complete information on strategies and match-ups.
UFC Parlay Betting
A parlay bet is when you combine bets on several fights to combine the payouts. When it comes to placing bets on UFC fights a parlay bet will result in a higher return. The downside of a parlay bet is that if you get one fight wrong, you lose your entire stake. One of the more famous parlays in UFC betting history came in 2015 when a bettor turned a $1 bet into $48,921 by going with nine underdogs on the card.
One of the best ways to parlay a UFC bet is to find heavy favorites that you are almost sure will win and then balance them with a couple of fights where you feel the underdog is a safe bet. A four-fight parlay where you bet $100 on a -500 favorite, a -600 favorite, a +150 underdog and a +200 underdog would pay out $900. If you’d bet those fights individually, the payout would be $386.67.
The best way to handle a parlay is to look very deeply at the event and go with fights you are incredibly confident in. The fewer the number of match-ups you parlay, the more of a chance you have of picking a winner correctly.
UFC Betting Tips
In addition to having UFC betting odds, explained, we have also prepared for you these UFC betting tips. These will help you put into action everything you know about MMA betting and odds. Tips for UFC betting are especially important because it is so different from other mainstream sports. These are one-off events and the winning metrics are very different.
Wrestling Trumps All
You often hear that wrestling is the best base for UFC fighters. It would be a cliché if it weren’t true. Most UFC champions work from a wrestling base and build their skills around that wrestling. If all things are equal except for wrestling skills, it’s not unsound to favor the wrestler. Since the late 90’s wrestling-based fighters have produced 17 Champions to date, followed by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 17 and boxing at 12.
Southpaw vs. Orthodox Stance
If the fighters are primarily strikers or if you think they will keep the fight standing for prolonged periods, it’s vital to consider fighting stance. A southpaw stance is when the fighter’s right foot is forward and their left is back, whereas an orthodox stance is left foot forward and right back. Typically, the strongest hand will be back to give the fighter more momentum with each hit.
A southpaw stance (left-handed fighter) usually has an advantage over an orthodox (right-handed) fighter. The reason behind this is simple math. Left-handed fighters are rarer, so most fighters train against and with righties.
More Considerations Prior to Betting on UFC
Being an avid fan of the sport you’re betting on always gives you an advantage over casuals. What’s important to take away from below for a successful UFC betting strategy is that it takes a multitude of factors to help make the best picks. Knowledge is profit.
UFC Betting Analysis: Live Betting and UFC
Betting live on UFC fights is a ton of fun. Given how infrequent these events are compared to other sports, it is a good idea to milk each fight for all its betting opportunities. Live betting gives you exactly this type of opportunity.
There are lots of reasons to bet live on MMA fights. One is that it pumps up the excitement even more. As the fight progresses, the odds can change very rapidly. This means that good deals can appear and disappear in a matter of minutes. You can feel the adrenaline as you wrestle to make the best UFC bets.
Plus, you get more betting variety. All the markets available during live betting will have different odds throughout the match. You do not just have to sit passively and take what is offered. You can be more selective because over the course of the match you will have even more options than before.
Getting Started: Choosing the Right Sportsbook
Betting on UFC fights might seem overwhelming at first due to the number of wagers one can place on each fight and fight card, but once you get the hang of the sport and what to look for during your research, it can be an exciting and lucrative endeavor.
Now that you know how to bet on UFC fights online it’s equally as important knowing how to choose the right sportsbook for your UFC betting needs prior to placing a wager, that’s why we have you covered. Now in the words of Bruce Buffer “It’s Time”!
Best UFC Betting, September 2023
- Sean Strickland, the +475 underdog, takes on heavy favorite Israel Adesanya at -650 odds.
- Tai Tuivasa at +210 odds faces Alexander Volkov the -250 favorite.
- +170 underdog Austen Lane goes up against -200 favorite Justin Tafa.
- Anton Turkalj with -115 odds squares off with Tyson Pedro at -105 odds.
- Felipe dos Santos, the +285 underdog, battles -350 favorite Manel Kape.
- +210 underdog Da Woon Jung meets -245 favorite Carlos Ulberg.
- Chepe Mariscal at +185 odds fights -220 favorite Jack Jenkins.
- +230 underdog John Makdessi faces -270 favorite Jamie Mullarkey.
- Blood Diamond with +250 odds takes on -300 favorite Charlie Radtke.
- -184 favorite Shane Young goes against +159 underdog Gabriel Miranda.
Top Sports Betting
UFC Betting FAQ
Find answers to common questions bettors like you have when researching about UFC betting.
Yes, it is legal to bet on UFC online in almost every US state.
You can use the vetted MMA online betting sites we recommend on this page.
The best UFC bets are the ones that are the most entertaining. It is good to think of UFC gambling as a form of entertainment. In any case, safe bets are good ones when you are unsure.
Absolutely! Proposition bets are any bets that do not deal directly with the end of the match. In UFC fights, some examples include which player will throw more jabs, who will land the first hit, and who will land the first takedown.
In fight bets, over/unders are also called round bets. That’s because you are betting on which round you think the match will end.
Many of the best betting sites allow you to place bets on your mobile devices. You will generally have all the same betting options here, but the added convenience of greater access to competitive odds for every UFC Fight Night wherever you are!
Trent is a professional sports journalist specializing in UFC, MMA, and esports coverage. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's connection to MMA dates back to the early days when he and his friends pooled their resources to purchase the pay-per-view broadcast of UFC 1. He also has extensive experience in esports, particularly League of Legends and Counter Strike, dating back to the game's launch.
