Despite what some may have you believe, blending various forms of betting into one sport is not something that the UFC or Bruce Lee invented. It has been around likely since humans began codifying systems of combat. Pankration was a sport introduced in the Olympic Games in 648 BC that resembled today’s mixed martial arts contests. It was empty-hand submission fighting that included punching, kicking, ground strikes, joint locks, and chokes.
Without question, the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship brought MMA betting to the forefront of the gambling world and pop culture. The organization run by the controversial Dana White began to blow up post-2005, following the TUF 1 reality series finale. And it now dominates the competitive fighting landscape, with its events gluing millions of eyeballs to screens and boosting traffic at platforms that facilitate betting fun.
General gambling terms are beneficial to learn when betting online, and most also apply to MMA wagering. However, the specificities of mixed martial arts contests allow for unique betting options and have given birth to a few novel terms everyone interested in this activity should know. They get explained below.
Inside the Distance
It is vital to understand that every MMA organization has the right to determine the number of rounds in an MMA contest. According to the unified rules of the sport that most US-based organizations follow, each round in a professional MMA competition lasts five minutes, and no one can exceed five rounds. In the UFC, non-title main events used to be only three rounds. That changed around a decade ago when the UFC chose to make all main events five rounds.
Pride FC, the former world MMA leader, had an opening ten-minute round, followed by two five-minute ones.
Inside the distance refers to wagering that someone will be the victor before time runs out, and a decision must get rendered via judges’ scorecards. The methods by which a fight can end inside the distance are KO/TKO, doctor stoppage, and submission. The distinction between KO and TKO is that regarding the latter, the referee makes a judgment call that one fight cannot go out. That occurs despite the losing combatant being conscious and somewhat resisting his opponent. When a KO happens, a knockout means a combatant has gone unconscious.
Double Chance
Simply put, a double chance is a bet type that blends a to-win wager and a method of victory. Instead of only selecting who will triumph in a pro-MMA fight, gamblers must also pick how the fighter they are predicting will get his hand raised will get the job done.
Examples are Conor McGregor over Michael Chandler by decision, by submission, or by KO/TKO. The last two methods of victory almost always get grouped. Yet, no one should be surprised to see them separately listed in some sportsbooks.
Fight Award Wagers
You can read everything you need to know about gambling online, but if you do not watch the UFC, there is no way to understand what this prop wager is and how it works. These are bonus awards given to four fighters participating in a UFC event. The winners get decided on by the company’s management team, and it is not uncommon for Dana White to make these judgments himself.
In the pre-2014 era, the UFC used to award a Fight, Knockout, and Submission of the Night cash prize. After February 2013, it modified these honors by giving Performance of the Night Bonuses and a Fight of the Night one. Gamblers can freely bet on who will win these on each UFC card.
Types of Decision Victories to Bet On
These mirror the ones in boxing. Fans of pugilism know them, but for everyone else, they are elaborated on in this subheading. A unanimous victory means that all three judges saw the fight the same way, and they have the same winner on their scorecards. A split decision signifies that two judges had the fight for one combatant, and the other judge thought the other fighter won.
Now a majority decision is something that many have a problem with and don’t quite grasp. It refers to a situation where two judges fight for one guy, but the third thinks it is a draw. So, it is a two-on-one scenario with a draw in play. For example, a majority draw is when two judges rule the contest a tie, but one believes one of the fighters won. A split draw is when all three judges view the fight differently. One has it as a draw, and the two others think different fighters won.
It is paramount to learn that MMA, like boxing, gets scored using a 10-point-must system. That means that judges award the winner of the round ten points, and the loser can traditionally get nine, eight, or seven, depending on how badly he lost it.