What is Round Betting in UFC?

UFC round betting is as simple as it sounds, but there are many types of wagers you can take when round betting in UFC fights. Here are the major types of round betting wagers.

Exact Round

Exact round bets are bets on which round you think the fight will end. These bets can net you big returns since they require being right about such a specific factor of a UFC fight. Most UFC betting sites will allow you to get even more specific with your exact round bets. 

Exact Round and Fight Winner 

In addition to betting on the exact round the fight will end in, you can also bet on the exact round and the winner of the fight. For example, you could bet on Jon Jones to win in the first round all as a single bet.

Exact Round and Method of Victory

Another popular kind of exact round bet are bets on the exact round and the method of victory of the eventual winner.  

UFC fights can end in knockouts / technical knockouts (KO/TKOs), submission, or through judges’ decision. Because judges’ decisions require the fight going the distance, you’ll usually only be able to bet on if a KO/TKO will happen in a specific round.

Total Number of Rounds (Over/Under)

Total number of rounds bets are typical over/under bets. The UFC betting site will set a line at which round they think the fight will end in. You then bet on whether you think the fight will be shorter or longer than the sportsbook’s line.

If you think the fight will be longer than the number of rounds set by the UFC betting site, you should bet the over. If you think the flight will be shorter, bet the under.

Fight Goes the Distance

Betting on whether the fight will go the distance is probably the easiest type of round betting wager to understand. You simply have to say yes or no whether you think the fight will last the maximum number of rounds possible.

About half of all UFC fights go the distance, but odds are dependent on the specific fighters involved.

Grouped Round Betting

If you don’t think you can accurately predict the exact round a fight will end in, grouped round betting might be a better choice for you. 

Instead of picking the exact round, with grouped round bets, you pick a range of rounds you think the fight will end in. For example, you could bet on whether you think the fight will end in the first or second round. If the fight ended in either of those rounds, you would win your wager.

While UFC round betting is a fun way to potentially make some money on UFC fights, there are some things you should know before getting started.

One of the most important things before round betting in UFC fights to consider is who’s fighting. Is it a heavyweight fight where the fighters aren’t likely to go the distance or is it a lightweight event between less heavy hitters? Speaking of heavy hitters, is one of the fighters known for having an aggressive style? At a bare minimum, these are questions you should ask yourself before UFC round betting. 

You should also consider the specific matchup and whether one fighter is heavily favoured over the other. Obviously, if a big name like Jon Jones is going up against a relative no-name fighter, Jones would have a good chance of securing victory early.

Who the referee is can also play a role. Some referees will let a fighter take significant damage before calling the fight. Others will call the fight as soon as they have reason to think a fighter might be in real danger.