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How to bet on the UFC

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How does UFC betting work?

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) delivers spectacular fight night action almost every weekend of the year as the planet’s greatest mixed martial artists face off inside the world-famous octagon. You can be a part of it by getting involved in the betting action on fight night.

Every UFC event features a host of well-matched bouts from a host of weight classes from women’s strawweight (115 pounds), all the way up to the men’s heavyweight division (265 pounds). The action can be fast and furious inside the cage, and with so many different ways to win (and lose) a fight, fans and bettors are often on the edge of their seats throughout.

Events are split into two or three cards, with one or two preliminary cards of bouts kicking off the night, before the main card featuring the biggest fights of the event takes center stage.

Betting on the UFC is now commonplace across Canada, with all the major sportsbooks offering odds on UFC fights every week. BET.CA is here to help you get the most from your UFC fight night betting.

MMA_UFC_Francis Ngannou Stipe Miocic UFC 260
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The best UFC sportsbooks

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What odds can you get on the UFC?

There’s a host of different betting options available on every UFC event, and you can learn more about all of them with BET.CA’s UFC odds guide. However, here is a quick runthrough of the most popular markets for UFC betting:

  • Moneyline: A simple bet on which fighter you think will win a UFC bout.

  • Total (or over/under): In UFC betting, total or over/under bets are placed on how many rounds a fight will last for.

  • Prop bets: Popular props in UFC betting include the method of victory in a fight, or whether or not a bout will go the distance.

  • Parlays: You can place UFC parlays on the outcome of multiple bets.

  • Futures: UFC futures are available for who will become champion in a certain division, sometimes by a set date.

UFC betting tips

Watch the weigh-ins

Sometimes described as “the fight before the fight”, the official UFC weigh-ins can have a direct impact on fights.

How do the fighters look on the scale? Did they struggle to make weight? A bad weight cut can often lead to a sub-par performance on fight night, so take the time to watch the fighters on the scale.

Key strengths and weaknesses

Look for fighters who tend to win or lose fights by specific methods (submission or KO/TKO) and compare this with the strategy and ability of their opponent. For example, if a fighter has suffered most of their losses via submission, a bout against a proven grappler could prove to be problematic for them. There are also important UFC stats that you can use to help inform your predictions.

Check for form and momentum

Form and momentum are huge factors in combat sports.

In MMA, where there are so many ways to win and lose fights, fighters on strong win streaks in the UFC are always worth considering.

Note fighters’ strength of schedule

Fighters are constantly evolving fight-to-fight, and in a sport with so many ways to win and lose, sometimes pure win-loss stats can be misleading when analyzing a fighter’s chances. Always check who a fighter’s recent bouts have been against, particularly if they have taken on higher-caliber opponents as opposed to inexperienced and unproven talent.

Monitor activity and injuries

Check the records of fighters to see how recently they fought, and how damaging an encounter that was.

A quickfire finish in a recent bout means a fighter may still be fresh heading into their next bout, while a grueling clash that went the distance could mean they aren’t at their best after a quick turnaround.

Shop around for the best odds

As with betting on every sport, it always pays to have accounts with a few different sportsbooks so that you can shop around and make sure you are always getting the best odds for your chosen wager.

If you bet at worse odds, you’re leaving money on the table. You can see the latest UFC odds with BET.CA.

UFC events today

There is no UFC “season”, and events instead take place almost every weekend over the course of the year.

Events are announced throughout the year, so be sure to check our UFC schedule page for up-to-date information about upcoming fights. UFC events are split into three different event types:

  • UFC pay-per-view events

  • UFC Fight Night events

  • UFC on ESPN/UFC on ABC events

You can learn more about each of these and the UFC schedule in more detail with BET.CA.

MMA_UFC_Israel Adesanya UFC 263
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC betting FAQs

What are the best UFC betting sites?
Who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC?
How many Canadians have won a UFC championship?

Our UFC guides are written by BET.CA's in-house team, all of whom massively enjoy following the UFC and have a passionate and in-depth understanding of MMA. That's why you can trust our UFC guides to improve your knowledge of how to bet on the biggest bouts.

BET.CA staff
BET.CA staff