Historians trace mixed martial arts to 648 BC. That’s centuries of traditions, histories, and fighting cultures wrapped into the magnificent sport you know and love today. Also today, you can do more than love MMA¾you can bet on it. Here are five expert tips on placing the best MMA wagers as a complete beginner.
Study up on MMA
There are no two ways about this. Like any sport, MMA is a complex activity with varying rules, gameplays, and scoring guidelines. Before you start betting on matches, you need to know how the game works. As a quick intro, MMA is a full-contact fighting sport that prioritizes striking and grappling. As the name suggests, it combines different martial arts disciplines, including boxing, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Typical matches last 3 rounds of 5 minutes each, although title matches may last up to 5 rounds. There are different weight classes and multiple ways to win an MMA match, including knockout, technical knockout, decision, and submission.
Keep track of the players
Betting is often sold as a number’s game, but it’s actually about intuition. Nothing beats the instinctual knowledge that a fighter will win or lose a match. How do you get this knowledge? You grow it. MMA fighters are easy to follow because they’re often loud and boisterous. A great way to build your betting instinct is to study how different fighters fight, what their skill sets are, and under what conditions they fight the best. Knowing this allows you to place sound bets, even when the stats suggest otherwise.
Pick a favorite bet
There are many ways to bet on MMA. Top online sportsbooks like Betway offer multiple betting markets on the sport, including the moneyline, points spread, over/under, and parlay. There are also more complex wagers, such as the method of winning and round betting.
While you can place all these bets, as a beginner, focus on one or two. Pick the simplest, most non-brainer bet, and perfect it. The moneyline is a great option because it is a wager on who wins a match. Place as many moneyline bets as possible using your welcome bonus or demo account until you have a real feel of how MMA betting works.
Listen to the experts
People have been betting on MMA for years, and they’ve established a few things. For one, in most games, the younger player always has a better chance of winning. Statistics suggest by 61 percent. The better striker is also a likely favorite, especially if their striking stats are solid. All that said, MMA fights are wild, and things tend to go out of hand very fast. Favourites don’t always win. So, instead of only focusing on the stats, focus on everything everyone is saying about the match and compare it to what you already know about the fighters. Trust your gut.
Create a betting strategy
Just as your favorite fighter wouldn’t step into the octagon without a plan, never bet without a strategy. Betting providers like Betway go above and beyond to deliver the best betting environments for beginners. They give you bonuses, odds, tips, stats, and options to watch live games. On your end, you must use all these tools to your advantage. Set a budget, practice a few demo bets, bet with the numbers (not your emotions), and know when to stop.
Wrapping up
There you have it. Betting on MMA is easy even for complete beginners like you because it is an extension of watching your favorite fighters duke it out in the octagon. To make the best of your experience, start small, learn everything you can about MMA betting, practice, create a strategy, and trust your instincts. Lastly, place all your bets at a trusted betting site with player protection.
