Mma betting is a growing industry for sports fans looking to place wagers on individual fighters and fight cards. While the experience level of MMA bettors is lower than those who place wagers on other team sports, it’s possible to profit from a smart betting strategy. As with any type of sports wagering, it’s important to understand the odds of a fight before placing your bet. Betting odds showcase how much a bettor can win for each $100 wagered on a specific bet. They can be displayed in American, decimal or fractional form. Learning how to read MMA odds is essential to making the best bets.

Using a combination of knowledge of a fighter’s record, past performances and current form will give you the edge to make winning bets. Having technical insight on the fighting styles of both fighters will also help you to see through the hype and identify the real strengths of each competitor.

The most common MMA betting bet is the money line, which is an outright bet on the winner of a fight. It’s expressed in positive and negative values based on how much the book expects one fighter to win. Negative odds represent a fighter as the favorite while positive odds indicate the underdog. The odds are usually set when the book opens but may shift as the fight draws closer.

In addition to the money line, MMA bettors can also place prop bets, parlays (accumulators) and over/under bets. These bets are typically higher risk but can offer larger payouts. Those who place a lot of bets should be sure to shop around for the best odds and to take advantage of any bonuses offered by a sportsbook.

An over/under bet is a wager on the total number of rounds in a fight. For example, if two fighters have very different styles, you can bet on the over/under that the fight will last less than or more than 2.5 rounds. You can also bet on the exact round that a fight will end, which is more precise and carries a higher potential payout.

Another popular MMA bet is on the method of victory. This bet is a bit more complex than the simple moneyline bet because it requires you to choose between a knockout, submission or decision. Some sportsbooks even offer bets on the round a fight will end in, which is a fun way to bet on the match without having to research all of the fight details.