Almost every person who bets has a type of style or “system” they use to pick the team/fighter they want to bet on. I’ll first state that there is no one correct way to handicap a fight. Finding a style that works for you is the most important aspect of betting on mixed martial arts fights. If you try to bounce all over the place, and bet with different theories and systems, chances are you’ll end up broke.

One of my main betting philosophies is to always go against the betting public. In the world of sports betting 98% of bettors come out losers in the end, so going against their picks is always a good idea over the long haul. If you’re new to sports betting or mixed martial arts betting, this is a tough idea to conquer and the picks will look like surefire losers every time, but trust me you will make money. Your friends will think you’re an idiot, and you’ll even question yourself every time you make a bet. However, this is one of the most consistent and best ways to make money betting on mixed martial arts fights.

My usual routine

- Check out all the popular bloggers and columnist online who are making their predictions for a fight. I’ll usually run through all them and write down their picks for the night. If they REALLY like a guy in a certain fight, I’ll make note of that as well.

- Check out the forums for what the general public thinks about each fight. Usually on all of the popular MMA forums, there will always be guys discussing who they like that night for the fight. I always make an extra note if lots of people are throwing around “no chance at losing” and “bet the wife and kids” type phrases about a certain bout.

- After that I’ll go through and check out the odds at all of the different MMA sportsbooks.

- If lots of people really like someone who is an underdog, I almost will always bet pretty big on the favorite. This usually only happens in fights with bigger name guys, but it does happen often, and it is always a great sign for us.

- If there are a lot of people all over a guy who is a major favorite, I will always put in a small bet on the big underdog.

- After that, Ill go through the rest and make my bets according to how I feel and how much action I’m seeing coming in on the other fighters. My main bets are almost always underdogs and very small favorites. I try to stay away from any favorite above -300 or higher.

This is my mixed martial arts betting strategy in a nutshell. I use the same basic philosophy in other sports such as football and basketball, and it works very well. I’ve had some success already with MMA, mostly in the UFC, but as I expand and learn more about the other leagues, I think ‘ll continue to profit in them as well.

Feel free to share your thoughts about betting on MMA fights in the comment section…

1.  James on October 5th, 2008 1:40 am

   So would you not bet on the up coming Anderson Silva fight cause he’s such a favorite?

2.  James on October 5th, 2008 1:41 am

   bet for Silva i mean

3.  Pat on October 5th, 2008 10:55 am

   NO, but I would use Silva in a parlay bet. Since Cote is a big underdog, I will actually put down a small bet on him in case of an upset.

4.  Rybolt on October 11th, 2008 6:40 pm

   Am I missing something, bodog says $500 max bet, in regards to Silva vs Cote.
   Now, if you bet max, w/ current line, you only take home ~$75.

   Is that right? If so, it’s not even worth the risk.

   Silva is a monster, and Cote can’t stop him, but with -600 or -800 I’d stay away.

5.  maxgxldealer on June 1st, 2009 2:14 am

   Hi
   I am really glad I found this blog. Keep up the good writtings. Thanks

6.  bringbackpride on October 13th, 2009 8:58 pm

   would like some betting advice on the upcoming fight between denis kang and micheal bisping. my thoughts are bisping will train hard and be well prepared being that the fight is in the uk. i personally think that kang is the much better fighter. he is capable of the knockout wheras bisping is not, and also kang is far superior on the ground. i am finding a trend in ufc that some fighters are hesitant to take a fight to the ground for fear of having a boring fight. time and time again i see bjj blackbelts just stand and trade. kang has great takedowns and will use them. i was a huge fan of pride and believe the ultimate fighter reality show cheapened the sport. i dont know if i am looking at this fight objectively. any thoughts would be much appreciated.

7.  Best Rakeback on January 5th, 2010 7:49 am

   That sounds good, I need to give that a shit myself. Thanks for sharing

8.  MMA Betting System on May 13th, 2011 2:24 am

   I’ve found that MMA is one of the more profitable ways to bet right now. The sport is so new that it is tough for oddsmakers to really get a grip on where to set their lines. You are right on, if you do it right it can be very lucrative.

   MMA Betting System