Stephen Thompson reacts after his victory over Geoff Neal in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Pro fighting is not only popular for spectators but also for bettors who like placing wagers on their personal favorites. In fact, MMA and boxing-related betting has become a big deal in the last few years because important fights generate a tremendous amount of hype and marketing.
You can place a bet on just about any match these days, but how do you recognize a favorite and increase the odds of winning money? There is no magic formula to help you with that, but you can become a better player simply by looking for signs that a fighter has a good or bad wagering value.
Here are eight signs you ought to monitor very closely.
First things first! If you want to wager on combat sports, you need to understand the odds as shown by your preferred gambling websites that actually payout. For instance, you need to know that favorites always come with the minus sign, while underdogs are presented by the opposite, plus sign. Both indicators start at 100, while much higher numbers such as -350 or +400 reveal that a fighter is a heavy favorite or underdog.
Once you’re done with the odds, you can concentrate on other – often more important – fight and betting indicators. The first one is the fight record of players because you need to know their match history against other opponents. To put it simply, if one fighter has a perfect record of 20-0, it is logical to assume that he is going to win the next match as well.
A fighter’s record is particularly important when you analyze the form and recent matches. For instance, a player may lose some of his early career matches and then become a true beast in the octagon. You should bear the form in mind before placing a bet based on the total career record.
This may as well be the most important factor while trying to determine the wagering values of both fighters. Each player has a few strengths and at least one weakness, so it’s crucial to figure out who can outperform the opponent based on their unique skills and fighting styles. For example, a UFC fighter Demian Maia is a jiu-jitsu specialist who can quickly handle opponents with subpar takedown defense, but he can hardly compete with high-quality wrestlers.
Another important indicator of wagering value is versatility. This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one as there are fighters like Daniel Cormier who are so well-rounded that they can fight just about any opponent. In this case, you need to pay special attention to their form and pre-match preparations.
You know that every fighter belongs to a certain weight category, so it’s also useful to analyze the official weigh-in. Online sportsbooks and betting strategies are the most important details – and for good reasons! After all, fighters who have to lose a lot of kilograms right before the match could feel serious consequences related to their cardio, strength, and mental abilities.
Needless to say, fitness and stamina represent critical factors in combat sports and so you need to look at participants’ recent injuries. If you know one fighter is struggling with arm or leg injuries, rest assured it will show in a fight that lasts more than one round.
High-level fighters are probably not facing this problem as they get more than enough time for acclimatization, but mid and low-level fighters cannot afford to arrive at the fight location two or three weeks in before the match. If you notice that one fighter had to fly long-distance the day before the actual fight, take it as is a clear signal of his weakness.
Betting on MMA, boxing, or UFC fights is not the easiest way to win money, but you can do it if you carefully analyze fighters and pay attention to their overall records, styles, and backgrounds. We showed you eight signs that a fighter has a good or bad wagering value. Can you make them work to your advantage?