MMA/UFC Betting: Top UFC & MMA Betting Sites in Ontario

Live Betting

Being able to wager on live fights is an essential part of the experience when it comes to MMA betting, so the sites we’ve looked at take this into account so that fans have selections to suit their needs when it comes to live betting on-site.

Mobile Bet

Again looking at the experience for the bettor, having a quality way for fans to bet on MMA via a mobile app is extremely important, and we’ve paid particular attention to this when considering the sites we believe you should be looking at for your deposits.

Customer Support

Having good 24-hour customer support is another essential component of having a viable sports betting site. We’ve made sure to include the sports sites that take this element of the job into account on top of everything else!

Quick Winning Bet Payouts

When you’re placing MMA bets, it’s good to know that you’re using a sportsbook that will be able to offer quick winning bet payouts, something we have also taken into account in our reviews of the best sites and apps currently available in UFC betting in Canada.

Overall Reputation

Probably the most important aspect of our research has been the overall reputation of different bookmakers, as the popularity of a sportsbook and the nature of its business model in terms of strategy, page experience and betting platform and how it contributes to a company’s reputation are absolutely paramount when looking for the best MMA betting sites around.

📌 Difference Between MMA & UFC

Still, many people do not know the difference between MMA and UFC, as they’re terms that can easily get muddled up if you don’t know the sport. It is a very similar situation to WWE and Pro Wrestling, where they’re essentially one and the same, except one is the biggest brand name (WWE) in the sport (Pro Wrestling).

What Is MMA?

MMA stands for ‘Mixed Martial Arts,’ and this is the standardized name for the sport across a number of different events. Mixed Martial Arts bouts are held either in a ring or a cage, with the majority of the biggest promotions in the world having their events take place in their own stylized arena, such as UFC’s Octagon, PFL’s Smart Cage or ONE FC’s Circle cage. There are hundreds of different events taking place across the globe on a monthly basis, with some being broadcast to millions of homes.

MMA features a number of standardized rules that are enforced by different sporting leagues and companies, such as the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Fighters in mixed martial arts tend to have a strong base and training in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Muay Thai Kickboxing and Boxing, although many also bring different styles from their country of origin, such as UFC legend Lyoto Machida, who was a Karate practitioner.

What Is UFC?

UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the company is fronted by UFC President Dana White. The UFC is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was initially founded by Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie. UFC’s first event took place in 1993, and the premise of the initial shows would pit martial artists from various disciplines against each other to determine which was the ‘ultimate’ martial art in a real fight situation. The sport and UFC promotion have grown exponentially in the following decades, with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, alongside Dana White, purchasing the company in January 2001 for only $2 million US Dollars and subsequently creating Zuffa, LLC.

It wasn’t until the creation of The Ultimate Fighter reality television series that things really began to take off for the company, as the format of finding the next UFC star was a massive hit in 2005 on Spike TV. The first-ever TUF finale featured a sensational bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar that is regarded as one of the most important bouts in the sport’s history, drawing a massive rating for the television broadcast and bringing new fans to the burgeoning sport. Endeavor bought a controlling interest in the company in 2016 for a reported $4 Billion US Dollars. Endeavor would eventually purchase the company in total in 2021, with MMA Fighting reporting at the time: “When Endeavor closed a deal to obtain a controlling interest in the UFC back in 2016 for just over $4 billion…This new buyout will now give Endeavor 100 per cent controlling interest over the UFC…”

What Are the Differences Between “Numbered” UFC & UFC Fight Night?

The UFC has two different styles of fight cards, with these being numbered PPV events and UFC Fight Night shows. Numbered events are shown in North America on PPV, with ESPN+ being the current home for fans to check out all of the action. As you’d expect, the Pay-Per-View events feature the biggest names in the company and the biggest fights that the UFC has to offer. UFC Fight Night events are shows that take place for fans to watch live on television, with fans in Canada being able to watch the full fight card on TSN. Although these shows are technically ‘free’ to watch, they often feature top names from the different weight classes on offer across the roster.

Although some would probably expect that the numbered events would be far superior, it is sometimes actually the UFC Fight Night cards that produce some of the best fights of the year as up-and-coming competitors strive to make a name for themselves inside the octagon. They will often pull out all of the stops to try and make a splash among the fans and UFC management.

🔔 MMA & UFC Bets Types

UFC betting odds and markets, in general, can offer fans the opportunity to place their stake on a number of different outcomes on any given fight night, and we’ll go through some of the options a sportsbook may give you below:

Victory Method

There are multiple ways a fighter can beat their opponent to win an MMA bout, including knockout (KO/TKO), submission or decision (be that split or unanimous). Betting on how a fight might finish could be lucrative, especially if you’ve got a good knowledge of the competitors in the octagon for a particular bout.

Outright Winner

Outright Winner is the most common betting type when it comes to MMA and UFC bouts, much like boxing. A bettor has more or less a 50/50 chance of getting the outcome they want, with the chances of a draw or a no contest being relatively low. If you’re new to MMA betting, then this will likely be your first port of call when it comes to actually putting down a bet, and props may be something you can consider later down the line.

Moneyline

The Moneyline is something you’ll see quite a lot on UFC.com, especially when looking at the individual fight cards. The Moneyline will give you information on who is the favourite and who is the underdog in a fight. For example, the favourite will likely appear with a + followed by a number and the underdog will be listed with a – followed by a number. For example, the matchup between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett at UFC 284 listed Rodriguez as the favourite at -165 and Emmett as the underdog at +140.

Total Rounds — Over/Under Rounds

A total rounds bout sounds exactly like it is, with bettors trying to determine which round a fight could end at a given event. Usually, you’ll find one or two different picks, with over 2.5 or under 2.5 being the most common way to bet on a standard 5-round Championship or Main Event fight. For more standard fights on the undercard, you’ll see an over 1.5 or under 1.5 bet being the most common way to make a total rounds bet on a 3-round contest.

Parlays

A parlay bet, also known as an accumulator, means that a bettor has made a few different bets and tied them together to create a chance to earn a higher amount overall. Although the payout will be significantly more than individual bets, it’s worth noting that if you’re incorrect on just one of your predictions, you’ll lose out on the total bet. So if you’re looking at doing this, just be aware that the risks are higher, and you could lose out.

Prop Bets

A prop bet refers to a wager that is placed on a fight that does not necessarily affect the overall outcome of the fight itself. One of the more popular prop bets in UFC/MMA is ‘will the fighters touch gloves?’ as this is a common tradition in MMA history amongst fighters who have respect for each other in the cage. If you know that the two men or women competing aren’t exactly fans of each other, then it might be worth betting against them doing so!

Futures

Futures bets see bettors making a prediction on what could happen at some point in the future. Examples of this would be ‘Conor McGregor wins a UFC title in 2023’ or ‘Francis Ngannou returns to the UFC in 2023.’ Whilst the two above are not necessarily likely to happen, they would probably be available with some great odds on a number of different sportsbooks.

Live Betting

Betting ‘in play’ as a market has become a big element of MMA and UFC betting in the past few years. If a bettor feels confident that they can make a pick during the course of a fight, such as a competitor winning in a certain round based on what they’re seeing inside the octagon, then this can be a great value way to bet during an event.

🎯 Top MMA Events to Bet On Besides UFC

As mentioned, the UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world, but there are a number of fantastic companies producing world-class talent that you can watch and potentially bet on right now, including:

Bellator

Bellator MMA is looked at by many as the number 2 in terms of global MMA powerhouses, and for a good reason, because the company boasts some incredible fighters on its roster. The company was first founded in 2008, with the inaugural event taking place in April 2009 in a tournament format, which continued until the final season in 2014. Bellator follows a similar format to the UFC, with bouts taking place in a cage instead of a ring and judges being stationed at the cage side to determine a winner should one not be determined within the time limit and weight divisions based on recent performance and standings. Names such as Vitaly Minakov, Andrey Koreshkov, Eddie Alvarez, Ben Askren, Ryan Bader, Fedor Emelianenko, Douglas Lima, Patricio Pitbull and Michael Chandler have had plenty of incredible bouts for the promotion, and stars continue to rise through the ranks in 2023.

❌ Watch Out For These MMA Betting Mistakes

Common mistakes bettors can make when it comes to MMA are incredibly similar to those in other combat sports, especially boxing.

Not Knowing Skill Sets

Not knowing the skillsets of the fighters you’re betting on is the primary mistake, as while you might be confident that the 11-0 fighter getting in the cage with an 8-5 opponent should steamroll them, the fighting styles of the two competitors may well give the advantage to the 8-5 opponent.

Not Knowing MMA Rules

Another big betting mistake that people can make is simply not knowing the rules of MMA, as there is still a preconception amongst some people that mixed martial arts or cage fighting is just a barbaric free-for-all, which isn’t the case at all.

Completely Trusting Media Personalities

Trusting those who have fought in the octagon and had years of experience can be a double-edged sword. If you look at someone like a former UFC champ-champ and well-renowned member of the UFC commentary team in the modern day, then you’d think that their analysis would be a dead-cert when it came to predictions…but that’s not always the case. Much like other fighters and people in general, these personalities have their biases regarding rivals, teammates and colleagues. It’s worth bearing in mind that every analyst has a personal bias that might cloud their judgement.

Betting Based on Personality or Fame

If you haven’t bet on MMA bouts before, this can be an easy trap to fall into. If you think that knowing the name Conor McGregor means you’re in a position to bet on him, think again. Yes, McGregor can be regarded as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, having secured his own champ-champ status at Lightweight and Featherweight, but two straight losses against Dustin Poirier have meant that he is clearly not the fighter he once was. If you’re looking at getting into betting on UFC and MMA fights, then make sure that you don’t get lured into the fool’s game of betting on personality or fame.

Not Considering Injuries

You must ensure you’ve got a good grasp of the fighters competing and their status in recent injuries. Fighters can sustain many different injuries that make a huge difference to how they compete, and major surgery can irreparably change how a competitor actually competes inside the cage or ring. Although injuries are not always known publicly, it’s easy to find information on fighters through reputable news sites. It is essential to get a grasp of a fighter’s history when it comes to time outside of fighting to establish what level they might be competing at.

Completely Disregarding Underdogs

Only betting on favourites in fights and not considering the potential impact of an underdog is another way that bettors can ensure that they’ll probably lose their stake quickly. This goes back to the advice about skill sets, as although a fighter might be world-class in one or two different areas, there are always going to be areas that they aren’t quite as strong in that an underdog opponent could potentially exploit and use to their advantage.

Not Managing your Bankroll

This advice goes beyond MMA betting because if you do not manage your bankroll correctly and only bet what you can afford to lose, then that can be detrimental to your mental health and your pocket.