MMA Betting: Prop Bets, Part I
By Loot, MMA Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
With the rapid growth of MMA, it is one of the fastest-growing forms of wagering at the book. With more and more people betting on MMA, we are seeing quite a spike in the different types of bets available. When you simply bet on one of two fighters to win, that's called a "straight bet." All other wagers are called "prop bets." Let's take a look at some of these different wagers.
Over-Under Betting (Totals)
While not as popular of a wager as it is in boxing, where virtually every fight has an over-under line, it is the simplest of MMA prop bets. A line is set and you simply predict whether the fight will go over or under that number. Let's use an example.
Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Over 1.5 (-135), Under 1.5 (+105)
In over-under betting, who wins is not a factor. In this bet, you are simply trying to predict whether the fight will last 1.5 rounds. The magic line would therefore be 2:30 into the second round. Each side of the bet has odds represented by the "money line." Any line with a (-) sign is a favorite, while any line with a (+) is an underdog. So in this bet, the under (+105) is a slight favorite. (+105) means you win $105 for every $100 you bet. If you took the under at (-135), you receive $100 for every $135 you wager.
Sometimes, an over-under will be a round number. Let's say the over-under is two rounds. If both fighters begin the fight in the 3rd round, "under" is a losing bet. That seems clear-cut, but what happens if the over-under is two and one of the fighters quits or has the fight stopped by a cornerman or doctor? Even if the bell rings to signal the beginning of the third round, if a fighter stays on his stool, the fight is considered to have ended in the previous round. Therefore, the over-under of 2 rounds would be a winner for those who bet the "under." If you bet over two rounds and a fighter does not start the 3rd round, it didn't go "over" 2 rounds, therefore an "over" bet will be graded as a loser.
Betting How a Fighter Will Win
You can bet whether a fighter will win by decision, submission, or knockout. These bets will not be available on all fights, but the bigger ones offer these wagers and with the growing popularity of MMA betting, look for this type of wagering to increase.
It seems simple enough. When you bet on a fighter to win by stoppage or "inside the distance," he must simply end the fight before the bell sounds to signal the end of the bout. How it happens isn't terribly important. You rarely see technical decisions in MMA, where an accidental foul leads to the fight going to the scorecards or a No-Decision. In that event, an "inside the distance" or "fighter wins by stoppage" would be graded a loser. Other than that obscure result, this bet wins in the event of a knockout, TKO, submission, disqualification, corner or fighter retirement, injury not caused by a foul, or any other circumstance that could end a fight.
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The more-specific "by submission" or "by knockout" prop bets are obviously more restrictive. "By submission" means just that--a fighter must submit verbally or by tapping out. A "technical submission" also counts as a winner--when a fighter is rendered unconscious or is on the verge of a bad injury and the referee stops the fight.
In MMA, a fighter must be either rendered unconscious or be on the verge of that eventuality to be considered a knockout. It's important to note that a corner stoppage also counts as a winning "KO/TKO" bet. A disqualification also counts toward a "knockout" bet. Unlike boxing, there is no count. Therefore, it is up to the judgment of the referee in all cases to render the decision that a knockout or TKO has taken place. When a fighter taps out or verbally submits in the midst of a striking attack, that's considered a submission, not a knockout or TKO. Bet on MMA for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% sign-up bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets!
