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In comparison to the history and timescales of other sports, for example, golf, which is centuries old, MMA is in fact one of the newer sports on the block, but one that is growing in popularity due to a few different factors, which we’re going to look at today. The biggest franchise by far in the MMA world is that of the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, which of course is spearheaded by Dana White and has turned itself into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
There have been over 300 different events since its inception, and it’s now regularly watched by millions around the world and features some of the biggest names in the fighting world today, such as Connor McGregor.
MMA stands for mixed martial arts, and what makes it unique is that it differs from the likes of boxing, which has just one fighting style. Instead, it allows fighters to use various styles of martial arts, which include:
Judo
Jiu-Jitsu
Catch Wrestling
Luta Livre
Muay Thai
Capoeira
We already mentioned that the UFC in particular is watched by millions around the world, and this made it a lucrative endeavour not just for the franchise itself but also for those invested in it and betting websites. Just like people have been betting on the likes of boxing for years, they are also now betting on the likes of MMA, with people trying to find what could be good sports betting odds online.
Like with any sport that you can bet on a betting website, the odds for particular markets are displayed in different ways depending on where you live or where the online sportsbook that you’re betting on is based. These can appear as fractional, decimal, or moneyline. These are also known respectively as British, European, and American odds. They all represent the same value to you. If you’re looking to bet on an MMA match, whether it’s in the UFC or another franchise, you’re going to want to know what these odds mean. It’s also important that you do your research on the background of the two fighters so that you boost your chances of winning.
Overall, you will find that most online bookmakers and sportsbooks will by default use American or Moneyline odds. This primarily applies to UFC matches and odds as it is a franchise that was created in the United States and its biggest following comes from the US. And so it’s important to know exactly what the odds signify. To give you an example, if you see +300 next to a fighter's name, you really need to understand what this means. It’s basically what a $100 bet would return.
And so if you placed a bet of $100 on a fighter with odds of +300, you would get your $300 back plus the $100 that you staked, turning $100 into $400. The equivalent of this in the fractional betting arena would be odds of 3/1, or if you were looking at the European style of showing odds, it would be 3.00. But as we have mentioned already, they all hold the same value; it’s simply different ways of displaying the odds depending upon which type of them you prefer, and that will totally be up to which you find easiest to understand.
However, this is the same approach that you should take when you’re betting on any sport, in all honesty. Just like if you were speculating on the stock markets or on crypto, you would always do your due diligence and background research so that you’re making an informed decision. MMA’s popularity has not only been beneficial both for the online bookmakers and for the likes of the UFC and Dana White, but it has also inspired more people than ever before to take up MMA, particularly in the West, where it had a slower adoption after eventually being invented in Japan and other Asian countries during the 20th century.
It has also been featured in the media; if you look at Bruce Lee, for example, his fighting style is indeed MMA. Which most people don’t actually notice straight away or make the link between the two. Likewise, you have the likes of Jackie Chan, who was also proficient within MMA. It really has created its own culture and huge following around the world. And this popularity is why more and more people have started getting into it as a sport and why more people than ever before are liking to bet on UFC matches and other franchises around the world that promote professional MMA fighting.
So why is MMA so popular, and why is it growing faster than boxing, for example? Well, with boxing, you only have one particular fighting style, which, of course, is boxing. Whereas there are many more different elements to it in MMA. This not only adds an additional layer of complexion, but it also means that the strategy behind it goes to a whole new level. To a lot of people, this also means that if they have a deep understanding of what fighting styles are advantageous against other fighting styles, this can also give them an advantage when they are looking to bet on MMA fighting matches online, meaning that they are pushing the odds in their favour.
We’re really hoping that today this has given you a deep, clear insight into the world of MMA and why it has grown so much. The reason for giving you the detailed background into it is so that you understand just why people like it so much and why it has become such a popular sport for people to bet on. People love betting on sports that involve a lot of strategy, as it means that if they take the time to do their homework and their research, they really can put the odds in their favour.
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