Most new sports bookies in the United States expect to be knee-deep into the following sports: the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
But versatility is key if they want to truly make regular profits. Fight odds are one of the classic forms of sports betting that is a bit overlooked today. Everyone is so focused on the point spread that we have forgotten that one of the origins and lightning rods for sports betting was in boxing.
Two fighters, mano e mano, facing off in the ring with odds on who will win. That’s the simple way mainstream betting began. But bookies today need to recognize that fight odds are still a considerable part of online sports betting. And it’s had a resurgence with the fast growth of UFC or mixed martial arts odds.
Here’s why you must make UFC odds a regular part of your “ad campaign.”
Fight Odds Are Easy to Understand
While the growing North American betting public is still trying to understand how a spread works, mixed martial arts is the sport that is easy for new bettors to understand.
You can bet on two fighters straight up, and then you sit back and enjoy the fight as normal. Reminding your new players that to place at bet that all they need to do is choose between Fighter A or Fighter B will help those who are confused about the more intricate wagers.
UFC Parlays
Once your players understand how fun and simple straight-up fight odds can be, you can then tell them how they can parlay all these odds for huge paydays.
There are going to be a lot of times when the favorite odds are too big to make a great profit. It’s better to have a couple of fights on one bet slip to ensure your payday is huge if you get every bet right.
Unlike boxing, UFC and mixed martial arts highlight the undercard fights. There are also times when there are multiple main events. Because of that, bettors can place a seven-team parlay on one UFC event, making even the most mundane fights an event they’ll never forget!
There’s Always a Fight
While the NFL or NBA are seasonal, there will be a fight to bet on every week all year round.
Obviously, as boxing is a huge sport worldwide, you’ll always find a bout between two pros. But it’s especially in UFC that an effort has been made to offer a fight every single week. UFC Fight Night is an event that appears on live TV and will constantly give your players solid cards to bet on.
If your players want to head out for a drink and make their evening interesting, let them know there will always be a fight they can bet or parlay.
MMA Props
Once your players understand how the moneyline works, they can start placing wagers on more exotic fight wagers. This will especially come in handy if the fighter they want to bet on is too much of a favorite.
Most sportsbooks will offer a slew of interesting bets, like whether it’ll be a win by knockout, technical knockout, decision, or disqualification.
You can also bet on rounds. Either go for a round total, as in, “will the fight go over or under a certain amount of rounds.” Or, wager on the specific round that will end in a KO, TKO, decision, or disqualification.
And then, if your players really want to get a bit more complicated, a spread exists in fight betting.
You can bet on which fighter end up will cover the spread when judges give their final score. For example, if you take Fighter A at -3.5 in a UFC fight and the final score in the decision is:
Fighter A 30-27, Fighter A 29-28, Fighter A 29-28
Then the result would be:
The cumulative score for Fighter A is 30+29+29 = 88
The cumulative score for Fighter B is 27+28+28 = 83
The result? Fighter A won on the points by five and covered the -3.5 spread. This allows your more advanced sports bettors to enjoy fight betting on another level.
Keep in mind if the fight ends early in a KO or TKO, that fighter wins the handicap regardless.
One more prop is something that can make even the most boring fights interesting.
You can bet on Unanimous Decision, Split Decision, or Majority Decision. A majority decision is when two judges choose the same winner while one judge chooses draw.
Conclusion
While boxing is still the biggest fight sport in the world, UFC and mixed martial arts are one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Ensure your players know all the UFC events available so you can keep your sports betting handle high no matter the season.