Before putting your money down on an individual sport like MMA, there are many factors to consider – every bit of data you can find on a matchup has value. Many of those factors are unique to each fight, such as record against similar opponents or a particular style matchup, but one that can’t be overlooked is the need to find the absolute best line prior to placing a bet.
Line shopping is massively important when it comes to MMA betting. Sportsbooks may have slight differences in how they’ve calculated each set of MMA odds depending on their respective calculations and projections. While slight differences in lines may not be hugely noticeable for an individual bet, the value they provide over time can be instrumental in pursuing profit with MMA betting.
UFC Line Shopping
Let’s take the upcoming catchweight fight between Marc-Andre Barriault and Jordan Wright as an example. Looking at the latest odds available on OddsJam, the oddsmakers have favored Barriault. That said, he’s coming off a very quick stoppage loss to Chidi Njokuani only two months ago, and I believe Wright is the safer play here. With that in mind, it’s time to go line shopping.
If someone were to use FoxBet for all of their betting needs, they’d be able to place a bet on the Wright moneyline at +125. But those aren’t the best odds available for someone looking to make that bet. If they go line shopping, they’ll find that there is some variability in the line – they could get Wright at +136 with FanDuel, or even +140 at DraftKings, Bet365 or Caesars.
If you were to place a $100 bet with FoxBet and Wright won the fight, your expected winnings would be $125 for a payout of $225. But if you went line shopping and went with DraftKings instead, your winnings would be $140 for a payout of $240. You didn’t have to place any additional money down, but your profit was 10% greater because you used an MMA odds comparison tool to line shop.
While we used the moneyline as the example here, line shopping can be applied to any style of MMA betting – whether you’re betting method of victory, total rounds or any number of other options. Because MMA betting can differ in some key ways from traditional sports betting, one of the best value finds when line shopping is in the total rounds category.
UFC Over/Under Betting
While over/unders in traditional sports are normally set at -110/-110, with slight variances in the hook, MMA has far greater variance in over/unders. Using the Wright-Barriault fight as an example again, FoxBet has the u1.5 rounds set at +115, while Caesars has the u1.5 set as high as +135. If you expect the fight to be finished prior to the halfway mark of the second round, there’s far greater value to be had by line shopping and choosing Caesars over FoxBet or an alternate book
Taking advantage of line shopping and the OddsJam odds comparison tool can be the difference between breaking even and having a highly successful night. The odds are out there, and they’re quickly and easily available to anyone looking for them. Once you’ve found the right play, it’s all about finding the best book for you to take advantage of the greatest value on that play.
