Best US UFC betting sites for June 2024
WHILE online sports betting in the United States is typically synonymous with the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL, one sport also attracts much attention — the UFC.
The UFC is an exciting sport to watch. The events consist of numerous fights that deliver a combat sports experience that’s more exciting and dynamic than boxing, with fighters specializing in their fighting styles, such as boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and more.
Below, we’ll look at some of the best online sportsbooks to bet on the UFC, where it’s legal, what to look for on a site, how to place a bet, and much more.
Best UFC sportsbooks: Our top picks
- DraftKings (Available in: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV, and WY)
- BetRivers (Available in: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, and WY)
- BetMGM (Available in: AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MS, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, PR, TN, VA, WA, WV, and WY)
Is UFC betting legal in the US?
As of June 2023, there are nearly 30 states in the United States where online sports betting is legal, and UFC is available in all of them.
Below are the current legal online sports betting states:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky* (Pending launch)
- Louisiana
- Maine* (Pending launch)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Vermont* (Pending launch)
- Virginia
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
What to look for in a UFC betting site
After looking at our list above, you may wonder how we choose the best UFC gambling sites. Below, we’ll go over the attributes and traits we look for when determining if a site is good for UFC betting.
Security measures
Whenever we recommend a UFC betting site, we only choose from those that are legal and licensed to operate in their available states. As a result, these online sportsbooks must adhere to regulations in protocols set forth by their in-state governing bodies, such as Gaming Control Boards, Division of Gaming Enforcement, or Lottery.
We can say, with certainty, that any site we recommend is safe and secure to play at.
Odds selection
With how popular UFC betting is, you’ll find that the odds for each fight, no matter where you bet, will always be somewhat close. That said, some sites will tend to offer better odds for underdogs or favorites, which we monitor because this could provide more value to gamblers who prefer betting on one side instead of the other.
As always, we recommend exploring each legal online sportsbook in your state to see which site will offer the best odds for the fighter you want to bet on.
Betting market depth
We’ll dig into the number of betting markets below, but in terms of depth, we look for sites that offer more than just big-name fights. In the UFC, there’s an undercard and a main card. Some sites may only offer the main card for betting. Still, we also prefer those that offer the undercard, as this engages fans more and makes the night of viewing much more exciting.
MMA promoter coverage
In addition to the UFC, there are other MMA promotions that you may be interested in betting on. While the focus here is UFC, we do notice sites that offer betting markets on Bellator, ONE, the PFL, and others.
Various betting options
While betting on who will win the fight is an easy go-to bet, many other betting markets are available for the UFC, including method of victory, round/method of victory, props, and parlays. The more betting markets a site has, the more favorably we view them, as this provides flexibility in how you bet on the sport.
Deposit/payout options
Like the number of betting options, we’ll always prefer sites with the most deposit and payout methods. Our mantra for this is “The more, the merrier.”
Whenever a site has more deposit/payout options, it could attract more players, thus resulting in more promotions.
Note: If you’re wanting to use crypto, that method is not available at almost any legal and regulated online sportsbook in the United States.
Betting offers and bonuses
When evaluating bonuses and promotions, we start with the welcome bonus to see how lucrative it is. To do so, we read the offer and then dig into the terms and conditions to see if there are prohibiting factors such as wagering requirements, minimum odds, time restrictions, etc.
From here, we look at offers that are available to existing players. After the welcome bonus comes and goes, it’s nice to have some additional value come your way, and that’s where these come in. Again, we check the terms and conditions for these.
Quality customer support
It may not be something you consider, but high-level customer support could be the difference between having a good or bad experience with a site. Live chat, FAQ, phone, and email support are now standard customer service methods. In addition to seeing what options are available, we’ll contact customer support to see how knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly they are.
A closer look at the best UFC betting sites in the US
1. DraftKings
No other online sportsbook performs quite like DraftKings Sportsbook. At DraftKings, you can expect a top-level performance from, arguably, the best online sportsbook on the market today. The mobile app runs smoothly and is constructed to navigate the site without needing to scroll up and down the page. In terms of betting markets, DraftKings has some of the deepest markets for the UFC, including all of the betting markets we mentioned above, like props, parlays, method of victory, and round/method of victory.
New players have the option to choose between a 20% deposit bonus up to $1,000 and up to a $100 bonus bet if their first wager loses.
Highlights:
- Accessible welcome offer
- Daily odds boosts, which could include the UFC
- Phenomenal mobile app
2. BetRivers
Regarding UFC betting, BetRivers is a definite contender for the top of the leaderboard. You’ll receive up to a $500 bonus bet as a new player if your first wager loses when you use the promo code “SPORTS” during registration. The betting markets are also deep here, including many of the same DraftKings offers, but not quite as many.
Where BetRivers excels, however, is their dedicated betting pages. When you click on a fight to see more betting options, BetRivers supplies players with fighter info and stats, including their winning percentages, ranking, record, and stance, and provide external links to more in-depth stats.
Highlights:
- Fighter statistics
- Numerous existing player promotions
- Easy-to-understand rewards program, iRush Rewards
3. BetMGM
If you enjoy betting from a mobile app, BetMGM also offers a fantastic option. The app is condensed so you can easily see the menu for available sports and the search bar, making it easy to dive into betting UFC action in seconds. If customer support ever becomes something you need to get in touch with, BetMGM has its customer support interface set up where you explore the FAQ section first; then, if you need more help, you can contact live representatives. This system works because it frees up more representatives available immediately to help.
BetMGM will create numerous pre-built parlay options for each UFC event for you if you’re having trouble creating your own.
New players will receive up to a $1,000 bonus bet if their first wager loses.
Highlights:
- Pre-built parlay options
- Fantastic customer support
- $1,000 bonus bet welcome offer
How do I place a UFC bet online?
- Pick the online sportsbook you want to play at.
- Visit the desktop site or download the mobile app.
- Create an account. You’ll usually find a link for this in the upper right corner of the page.
- Complete the registration process and allow the sportsbook to track your location to determine if you’re in a legal state.
- When this is confirmed, head to the deposit page and make your first deposit.
- With funds loaded into your account, navigate to the UFC betting page, pick a fight, pick a bet you want to make, and confirm it.
- Wait for your winnings!
What bet types are there on UFC betting sites?
There are many ways to bet on the UFC, and we’ll explain five of the most important ones below.
Moneyline
The moneyline is a simple bet to understand. With this wager, you’re betting on who you think will win the fight, with no strings attached.
Over/Under Rounds
The number of rounds in a UFC fight depends on the type of match that it is. For title fights or main events, you can expect five rounds. For non-main events and non-title bouts, expect three rounds.
When you bet the over/under on rounds, you’ll be betting on whether or not the fight will go beyond the number listed or fall short of it.
For example, if the betting lines for a round over/under is 2.5, you’ll bet whether the fight goes three rounds (or more in select fights) or ends before the third round.
Point Spread
Points spread betting in the UFC is a bet type that appears when a fight goes all three or five rounds, but a fighter fails to win by TKO, KO, or submission. When this happens in the UFC, the fight goes to the judge’s scorecard to crown a winner.
For example, if you bet a fighter with a point spread of -5.5, you’d need them to outscore his opponents when they go to the three judges’ scorecards.
So, if a fight is ruled 49-47, 49-47, and 49-48, this would add up to 147-142, a gap of five points.
If you bet -5.5, you’d lose by 0.5 points.
What happens if you bet this and the fighter you bet on wins, but before a decision? In that case, you win the wager anyways. If you bet on a fighter, you'll lose the wager, and they lose before the judge’s decision.
Fight Props
Props are micro-events that happen with the event itself, which in this case, is a fight.
Some popular fight props include:
- Fight to go the distance.
- Split Decision win.
- Unanimous Decision win.
- First Minute Finish.
- Time to Finish.
- Points Deducted.
Most of these wagers are “Yes” or “No” based and assigned betting odds similar to the moneyline.
Winning Method
Winning method best could also be viewed as props, but most online sportsbooks receive their own betting market section.
These bets include both fighters and whether they’ll win by KO/TKO/DQ, by submission, or by decision.
There are also some “or” bets. For example, “Charles Oliveira to win by submission or Beneil Dariush to win by KO/TKO/DQ. This bet provides multiple possible outcomes.
You can also wager if it’ll end in a draw or not.
How often do UFC betting odds change?
UFC betting odds can change at any time leading up to the fight. These odds can change following injury reports, the weigh-ins, large betting action on one side, or various other influences.
Can I bet on more than one fight on a single UFC betting card?
Absolutely. You can bet on as many fights as the sportsbook offers in single wagers or parlay them together. With parlays, you’ll add multiple fights to one betslip and received increased odds, but incur more risk as all contests on a parlay must succeed for your wager to win.
Can I bet on UFC undercard matches in US online sportsbooks?
Yes. While this could change from online sportsbook to online sportsbook, you can expect the ones we recommend to always allow betting on undercard UFC matches.
What is the most profitable UFC bet I can make?
While picking the best bets and winning them will always be the most profitable, we’ve found that Winning Method bets often offer the most profit.
UFC fights can only end in a few ways, and with Winning Method bets, they’re divided into decision, submission, and TKO/KO/DQ.
Now let’s look at Winning Methods:
- Win by KO/TKO/DQ
- Win by submission
- Win by decision
With these wagers, you can take a moneyline favorite and have a chance at getting “+” value payouts with them so long you can make the correct pick. With these better odds, you can also risk less money.
What are the most anticipated upcoming UFC events?
Due to the type of sport, the UFC is involving fighting and injury, events are only booked out so many months in advance.
The fights, cards, and main event matchups have been announced thus far.
- June 10: UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana in Vancouver, BC
- July 8: UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez in Las Vegas, NV
- July 29: UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 in Salt Lake City, UT
- August 19: UFC 292: Sterling vs. O’Malley in Boston, MA
Which US sportsbooks offer UFC live streaming?
While certain online bookmakers offer live streaming services, none will have UFC available. UFC is available on ESPN for the undercards and Fight Nights, while the main cards are on PPV.
What are the best UFC betting sites in the US?
Winner: DraftKings Sportsbook
There’s simply no outfit better than DraftKings Sportsbook regarding online sports betting. Here, you have a genre-defining mobile app, statistics for fighters, a choice of welcome offers, odds boosts, and the deepest betting markets for the UFC.
There’s really nothing you can’t do here.
Runner-Up: BetRivers Sportsbook
Like DraftKings, BetRivers also has statistics provided with fighters, but the statistics here might even go a bit deeper. BetRivers offers players a solid welcome offer with a $500 bonus bet, and their penchant for existing player promotions allows almost any UFC event to have additional value.
The user interface design is fine, though less polished than DraftKings.
Still, you’re getting many betting markets, great statistics to help make wagers, and bonuses/promotions that add value.
Honorable Mention: BetMGM Sportsbook
While BetMGM also has a top-tier mobile app and welcome bonus with up to $1,000 in value, the betting markets it offers consistently across all fights fall short of DraftKings and BetRivers, and the statistics aren’t available here.
Still, you’re getting a site with many tools for building parlays, including Easy Parlay and pre-built options.
Can I bet on the UFC live using mobile betting apps?
Yes. You can bet on the UFC from your mobile device by downloading the platform’s mobile app. Here, you can bet on the same markets, including gambling on fights as they’re in progress.
Are there special promotions for UFC betting at US online sportsbooks?
Yes. While not every bookmaker will offer special promotions for UFC betting, you can expect certain betting websites to, especially for cards featuring big-name fighters.
Our top tips for UFC betting in the US
- Research each fight and fighter. With each fight, there’s a new set of opponents. Research the fighter’s history and how they perform against certain fighters. For example, if you want to bet on a fighter fighting a submission specialist, is the fighter you’re interested in good on the ground or do they suffer a lot of losses to them? Explore that.
- Take the time to understand the odds and betting markets. We mentioned how to read them above, but get a handle on what they mean before betting so you can better understand betting line values.
- Set a budget. With the UFC, there are multiple events throughout the year so that you can set a budget per card. For example, if you have $100 to bet on a card, allow yourself to wager $10 per bet you want to make.
- Stay up to date on reports. This could be from their fight camps, training, and understanding of recent injuries. All of this information will help you make a better bettering decision.
- Remove your bias. Like in team sports, we all have our favorite fighters. When you’re betting, you need to set your personal feelings aside and judge a match properly. After all, money is on the line.
About the author
Richard Janvrin
Richard Janvrin brings nearly a decade of experience covering sports, and other betting-related content. Richard received his bachelor's degree in Journalism/English from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Richard has written for sites like Bleacher Report, Forbes, The Game Day, WSN, and many more.
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