Due to the growing popularity of MMA franchises or promotions like UFC, Bellator MMA & other games, betting in MMA continues to gain more traction with sports betting fans around the world.
MMA stands for “Mixed Martial Arts” mixes a variety of combat disciplines and this also attracts fans from a variety of combat sports.
MMA especially UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is becoming more popular in India too and many Indians are interested in betting on MMA fights.
However, there are still many Indians who are new to MMA betting and looking for a helpful guide.

If you are one of them, then this article will be a primer for you where we will provide information you require to bet on MMA fights online from India.
Also, we will be discussing how to understand MMA odds and important winning strategies to enhance your winning chances on MMA betting.
On a side note, IPL 2021 is currently going on. Click the link if you are interested to read the IPL betting tips.
MMA and Its Basic Rules
MMA is a hybrid combat sport where individual fighters fight with their opponent to win a fight by striking, grappling, and ground fighting.
Fighters in MMA use techniques from various combat sports including boxing, judo, wrestling, Muay Thai, karate, jujitsu, etc. The aim of the fighter in MMA is to force his/her opponent into defeat.
The biggest and the most popular MMA franchise is the UFC and we will focus on UFC the most for this guide. In UFC, the bout between two fighters occurs in the eight-sided, fenced-off octagon ring.
There are specific weight divisions and fighters compete in their weight division for belts. The champions need to defend their belts against challengers to remain in the UFC.
The rules of MMA can be somewhat complex for newbies. We will try to provide you a brief and easy explanation. There are different ways for a fighter to win a bout.
One of the simple ways a fighter can win a bout is via knockout (KO). This happens when a fighter makes his/her opponent unconscious or unable to continue the fight.
In a bout, a fighter can win by a technical knockout (TKO) if the referee ends the fight because he/she decides that the fighter’s opponent is unable to continue the fight.
Another way a fighter can win a fight is via submission. Fighters can make their opponent tap out by getting their opponents in Twist limbs or Chock holds or any other legal submission moves.
MMA fighters can also win the fight if their opponents’ camp surrenders by throwing a towel in the ring. The camp of the opponent does so when they are worried about the welfare of the fighter after their fighter gets serious damage but the fighter is determined to continue.
The UFC fight can go up to 5 rounds and each round can go up to 5 minutes. If the fight reaches the end of the fifth round, the winner will be declared by the decision of the judges.
Also, a fighter can lose a fight by disqualification (DQ) after breaking the rules severely or repeatedly during a fight. The referee can disqualify the fighter if he/she breaks the rules.
MMA Betting
If you want to bet on MMA fights, then you can consider various MMA events like UFC night. You will always get various choices for betting on MMA and MMA betting will help you to gain deep insights into this combat sport.
If you can make correct predictions, you can make some good profits.
MMA Betting Markets
Let’s talk about common betting markets that are available for you to explore.
Match Betting: This is the most common type of bet where you have to wager on the fighter to win the fight. You can choose to bet on any one of the two MMA fighters to be victorious or also on a draw in some cases.
Over/Under Rounds Betting: This is a bet where you have to predict whether the number of rounds the bout will last for will be over or under the number set by a bookmaker.
For example; if you wager on the bout to go over 2.5 rounds, then you will win the bet if the bout lasts for three rounds or longer. Otherwise, you will lose your bet.
Round and method betting: In this type of bet, you have to wager on when and how you think the bout will end. For example; there can be a bet for a KO in round two; if you place your bet on this, you win if the bout ends in a second round by a knockout.
Winning method betting: Here, you wager on the winning methods which can be submission or knockout or any others. This bet generally suits those bettors who do their homework.
Those who have done research are likely to correctly predict whether the fighter will win the bout by submission or knockout.
How To Bet on MMA Online?
Betting on MMA online is similar to betting on any other sport. There are various online betting sites operating today that offer you to bet on MMA fights by providing odds.
First of all, you have to join a licensed and fully regulated online betting site that offers MMA betting. You can choose BetBarter for the best online sports betting experience.
Create an online betting account on your chosen site and you have to fund your account by depositing money using any secure payment option offered by the site. After funding your account, you can visit the page on the site for MMA betting.
Next, check the available bets and choose the one you prefer. Enter the betting amount on the bet slip and confirm. Wait for the result. If you win, the payout will be based on the odds and added to your account balance. If you lose, you will lose your bet money.
Understand MMA Betting Odds
Betting odds reflect the likelihood of the occurrence of the particular outcome according to a bookmaker and the amounts you get if you win your bets depend on them.
So, it is important to understand how MMA betting odds work before your risk your real money on the prediction of MMA fights.
On betting sites, MMA Betting odds are generally expressed in one of the three common formats: Decimal, American and Fractional odds.
Decimal Odds
Odds that are expressed in decimal number form are the decimal odds. This type of odds is common in online betting India. The decimal odds represent the total payout (including the money you wagered) you receive for every ₹1 wagered if your bet wins.
For example; there is an upcoming MMA fight between fighter X and fighter Y. The betting site provides the odds for fighter X winning the fight is 2.18 and the odds for fighter Y winning the fight are 1.61.
In the case of decimal odds, the bigger number represents the underdog whereas the smaller number represents the favorite. In this example, fighter X is the underdog and fighter Y is the favorite.
Suppose you wagered ₹100 on fighter X to win the fight. If fighter X wins the fight, then you will get a payout of ₹ (2.18 x 100) i.e. ₹218. This includes your initial stake of ₹100 and profit of ₹118.
If you wagered ₹100 on the fighter Y to win the fight, you will get a payout of ₹ (1.61 x 100) i.e. ₹161 including your initial stake of ₹100 and profit of ₹61 if the fighter Y wins the fight.
The formula for calculating total returns and profit from decimal odds are:
- Total Return (Payout) = Decimal Odd Number x Stake
- Profit = Total Return – Stake
American Odds
Also referred to as Moneyline odds, American odds are highly popular in sports that are popular in America like MMA, boxing, basketball, and American football.
In American odds, the odds are expressed with a plus or minus symbol. The plus symbol is used for the underdog whereas the minus symbol is used for the favorite.
The odds number with plus symbol indicates the amount you win for every $100 wagered. If the odds of the fighter winning the fight is +400, you will win $400 for every $100 wagered.
You just have to do a simple unitary method to calculate the amount you win if you wagered the amount other than $100.
On the other hand, the odds number with the minus symbol indicates the amount you have to wager to make a profit of $100. If the odds of the fighter winning the fight is -200, you have to wager $200 to make a profit of $100. Isn’t it simple?
Fractional Odds
Another type of odds is fractional odds that are popular in the UK betting market. They can be written either with a hyphen (-) or slash (/). For example; 4-1 or 4/1 (pronounced as “four to one”).
The fractional odds represent the profit you make on every ₹1 wagered. For example, if the fractional odds of the fighter to win is 4/1 and you wagered ₹100, then you will win or make the profit of ₹400 if the fighter wins the fight. In this case, your total payout will be ₹ (400 + 100) i.e. ₹500.
- Total Payout = Fractional Odd x Stake + Stake
Winning Strategy and Tips for Online MMA Betting
To make your online wagering experience better and improve your winning chances, apply the strategies and tips discussed below:
Find value in betting odds
You have to do some research to find value in betting odds offered by bookmakers. You should not only concern about which fighter will win a fight but also whether the odds provided to a fighter by a bookmaker represent good value for betting or not.
You don’t have to depend on only one betting site. Explore multiple betting sites and check for the odds that provide you with a better payout.
However, ensure that your chosen betting site is properly licensed, regulated, and safe for online betting.
Research and stay up to date on MMA news
Knowledge is a key to success in any form of sports betting. So, you have to expand your knowledge and understanding of MMA and the performance of fighters.
Stay up to date on recent MMA news and make smart betting decisions utilizing the news and updates. Before betting on an MMA fight, you have to analyze every aspect of a fight. Remember that MMA is a mixed combat sport and a fighter can win in different ways.
Take advantage of betting opportunities for underdogs
The betting opportunities for underdogs are not easy to spot. Such opportunities can often be found when fighters make their debuts on UFC. If you are able to find out such betting opportunities for underdogs, you can win big pay-outs.
So, we suggest you check the background of fighters and their previous MMA records if they are making their UFC debuts. You can be aware of the potential of fighters and take the advantage of underdog opportunities.
Conclusion
We hope that these pieces of information are helpful for you to start online MMA betting. Know the basics of MMA and its rules, understand the betting odds, and wager on bets that offer value. Always select a trusted, safe and legitimate online betting site like BetBarter.