Styles Make Fights

Experienced players that work with price per head systems have heard this phrase before, and it essentially states that any man can win a fight if they’re a bad matchup for their opponent. For example, a strong wrestler will look to take down their foe if they’re a striker with poor takedown defense. This takes watching some old footage to see how they’ve fared against similar opponents.

The Weight Cut

This is an aspect of MMA and other sports that go unnoticed, but a lot of fighters will go through a drastic weight cut the day before the weigh-in so they can make weight for the fight, and then rehydrate and eat until they fight the next night. Some fighters can cut 20 pounds in a day and then have to work to put it back on, which will affect their cardio on fight night.

Who Is The Hot Fighter?

Momentum means a lot in team sports, and it also matters in an individual (although fighters have teams to prepare them for matches) sport like MMA. If a fighter is on a hot streak, they’re going to be more confident stepping into the octagon, while a man who has lost a couple fights may have some doubt and that is dangerous for his chances at betting sites.

The first concept of MMA betting to comprehend is the difference between the favorite (denoted by a minus sign) and an underdog (shown by a plus sign). The best way to show this is through an example, and we’ll take UFC 143 (which is going up against Super Bowl betting). The main event features Nick Diaz as a -175 to win the interim welterweight championship against Carlos Condit (champion Georges St. Pierre was due to fight Diaz, but tore his ACL), who is rated at +155. This means that you would have to bet $175 to win $100 on Diaz, but you would win $155 on a $100 bet if you go with Condit.

Odds can change depending on how people are betting on the fight (sportsbooks try to bring in an equal amount on both sides), or maybe an injury would cause the sportsbooks to chance the lines as a fighter could be on short notice. You can also bet on props, such as the number of rounds that a match will last, and you can also wager on draws in MMA, which means all bets will be paid back. Do some research, and maybe open up an account so you can get familiar with sport betting terminology.

UFC 143 Odds – February 4^th, 2012

Diaz (26-7, 1 NC) was the Strikeforce champion before moving over the UFC, but he really raised his profile among those that use pay per head software with a dismantling of former two-division champion B.J. Penn, who is past his best, but Diaz still took care of business. Diaz has a boxing background and uses volume punching to throw his opponents off, but if you want to go to the mat with him, Diaz is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-itsu.

Condit (27-5) was the final WEC champion at 170 pounds, and he has been impressive since moving to the UFC, going 4-1 and stopping some tough opponents. He has earned the Knockout of the Night in his last two fights thanks to his dangerous Muay Thai striking, but the “Natural Born Killer” has submitted 13 opponents.

Diaz has emerged as an early -160 favorite against Condit, who is rated at +130 and this is going to be a very tough fight to handicap. Both men have an excellent chin and can take a punch, and they’re also comfortable on the mat. In a match that could be a “Fight of the Year” contender, go with Nick Diaz to win the interim 170-pound belt while the rest of the community is doing some Super Bowl betting.

Submission Grappling

Grappling is the art of taking someone to the mat in order to work a submission. This is different from wrestling in that wrestlers go for control; grapplers aim to land a submission any way they can.

Ground and Pound

It is exactly as it sounds; a fighter will aim to get their opponent to the mat, and then pound them until they give up, or their opponent makes a mistake and puts themselves in position for a submission. Those that use pay per head sportsbook software will lean towards these fighters.

Sprawl

These fighters will get a look as well, as a sprawl is a technique used by strikers to avoid being taken down by their opponent. Fighters that sprawl want to keep the fight standing up as they’re either fantastic strikers, or their opponents are great on the ground.

Clinch Fighting

This is used by Muay Thai artists and a few boxers that basically look to close the distance on their opponent, usually hooking their hands behind their opponent’s neck to keep them close. For example, clinch fighting will be very important in the heavyweight title fight between Alistair Overeem and champion Junior Dos Santos, so do your homework before visiting sports betting sites.

There are eight weight classes: flyweight (max 125 pounds), bantamweight (135), featherweight (145), lightweight (155), welterweight (170), middleweight (185), light heavyweight (205), heavyweight (265). Gone are the days of seeing sumo wrestlers fight lightweights, which makes it a little easier to come up with odds for everyone from price per head bookie companies to sportsbooks. Most matches are three rounds of five minutes each, but now championship bouts and main events are scheduled for five rounds. There is, of course, a one-minute break between rounds.

You win via submission (making an opponent tap out either physically or verbally), a technical knockout (referee stops the contest) or any number of decisions (unanimous, split, majority, draw), and there can no-contests as well. There are a number of fouls that are not allowed and the referee has discretion to take away a point at any time (fouls like low blows, hair pulling, soccer kicks and other moves fall under this category). These are just a few of the rules, and you should have a thorough knowledge before making a bet in your online wagering book.

UFC 141 Odds – December 30^th, 8:00 PM ET

Overeem (35-11, 1 NC) also won titles in Dream and K-1, the world’s premier kickboxing association, and he is the only man to hold MMA and kickboxing belts simultaneously. He is one of the most feared strikers in the world, but bookies that use pay head companies know that Overeem is also a strong grappler and won’t be afraid to go to the mat.

Lesnar (5-2) will be aiming to take this match to the mat as his wrestling is spectacular, and he’s a frightening mix of size and athleticism. Lesnar hasn’t fought since October 2010, when he lost the belt via TKO to Cain Velasquez (who then lost the title to Dos Santos last month), so ring rust could be an issue for the former UFC champion.

Overeem comes in as a -160 favorite for this title eliminator, while Lesnar is rated at +140, and this is a matchup of styles: Overeem’s striking against Lesnar’s wrestling. Overeem hasn’t lost since September 2007 and he needs to push Lesnar’s conditioning as we saw how ring rust played a role in Velasquez’s loss. Overeem also won’t be overwhelmed by Lesnar on the ground, and we’re taking “The Reem” in our sportsbooks in this one.

UFC Odds – Saturday, December 10^th, 9:00 PM ET

Jones (14-1) is looking to conclude one of the greatest years in MMA history as price per head players have watched him roll through Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson since February, and he hasn’t been challenged. He’s a superior wrestler with good enough striking to keep his opponents off-balance, and his 84-inch reach allows him to dictate the pace of fights. Two of his last three wins have come via submission, but we know Jones is capable of a big KO.

Machida (17-2) may have the KO of the year after ending Randy Couture’s career in Toronto in April, and he looked like the “Dragon” of old. He strikes from different angles, but he’ll have his hands full trying to get inside of Jones’ reach. Machida likes to stay on the outside and counter, which won’t be of much use against the champ.

Jones is a -450 favorite against Machida, who comes in at +375, and we know he is dangerous, but Jones has been on another planet this year. Machida has excellent takedown defense, but Jones is stubborn and will continue to try to take the fight to the mat, although Machida is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In what should be a close fight, go with Jon Jones in your best online sportsbook.

UFC Odds – Saturday, November 19^th

Rua (20-5) bounced back from losing the 205-pound belt to Jon Jones by destroying another former champ, Forrest Griffin, in a rematch in Rua’s debut, which was won by Griffin. Price per head players know that there are few who are more explosive than “Shogun”, who wants another shot at the title and a win over Henderson would show that he is on the road back to the top.

Henderson (28-8) has won belts in Pride and Strikeforce at 185 and 205 pounds, but he’s coming off a win over Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight, although he didn’t weight much more than his normal 205 pounds. He has won his last three fights by KO, and Henderson sets up his heavy-handed shots with a strong wrestling game. Henderson also defeated Rua’s older brother, Murilo, back in November 2001.

“Shogun” opened as a favorite of around -160, and that’s a fair line considering the stature of these two. Rua is younger than Henderson by almost 12 years, and he showed in his last fight that he may have been hurt in the Jones fight. But Henderson is extremely tough and as was mentioned, he’s never been knocked out. Still, we’re going with a “Shogun” on a mission in our best online sportsbook.

UFC Betting – November 5^th, 9:00 PM ET

Chris Leben (22-7) comes into this match as a +200 underdog in your bookie software, but his exciting style always gives him a chance while leaving him open to strikes as well. Leben, an alumni of the first “Ultimate Fighter”, knocked out Wanderlei Sivla in July and he always comes to brawl until he (or his opponent if all goes well) falls. But he has an underrated ground game, which doesn’t always show because of his preference to stand and give the fans a thrill.

Munoz (11-2) is a former wrestling champion who has some of the best ground-and-pound in the game, and he is working to improve his jiu-jitsu as well. Munoz has won his last three fights and one of his two losses was a split decision against Yushin Okami, so he has had a good run and Munoz is looking to step over Leben to get into title contention.

The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” is a -240 favorite in this contest, and it’s a very good possibility that this fight won’t go the distance. Both have knockout power and look to use it, but this fight could come down to Leben’s ability to stuff Munoz’s takedowns and if he gets taken down, can he survive? Can he submit Munoz from his back? Tito Ortiz came up with a huge upset and we’re taking Chris Leben for the upset as well in our best online sportsbook.

On Saturday night, Frankie Edgar put a bully in his place, as he took apart long time rival Gray “The bully” Maynard. Leading up to the fourth round technical knockout, many people, we included believed that this fight, comparable to their fight to kick off the year back at UFC 125, was destined to go to a draw. However, in the fourth round, Edgar shocked the sports betting world, as he got out to an early start and never looked back, finally knocking Maynard out.

Now with a few months to recover from the fight, Edgar has to decide, should he move up to Welterweight, where the competition could be tougher. By doing so, Edgar could follow the path of many Lightweight Champions before him, including the man he beat for the title, BJ Penn.

On the other hand, Edgar could hang around the Lightweight division a little bit longer and weight for Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo to move up in weight class. The former WEC turned UFC fan favorite also fought on Saturday night, defeating Kenny Florian by unanimous decision. Since 2009, Aldo is on an impressive eight fight win streak.

Yet many people, we included wonder if Aldo would be better served moving up to Lightweight and facing guys he can go toe to toe with. Or he could stay in Featherweight and wait for Urijah Faber or Dominic Cruz to move back up.