MMA's Popularity in Canada
MMA is a gigantic betting sport in Canada. The big fights featuring transcendent starts like Jon Jones or Conor McGregor have a huge build up, allowing everyone to get emotionally invested while forming their own opinion that can easily lead to the desire to place a real money bet. There is also plenty of bet types to make the experience as exciting and entertaining as possible.
A high-profile fighter with a huge social media presence can garner as much online betting action as an event like Canada's Grey Cup. What's even more attractive is that big fights in MMA happen every few months, making it easy to understand why mixed martial arts betting is so immensely popular in Canada.
The Basics of MMA Betting
Betting on MMA or the UFC is the same as betting on any other sport that you are interested in. You will constantly need to stay up to date with the fighters and events that are taking place within the sport. If you can accomplish this, you'll understand all the major betting trends that can assist you to get an edge.
If you are a novice when it comes to online betting, you'll be pleased to know that we are here to help. We've created a quick and easy guide when it comes to the basics of MMA betting that will help you on your betting journey. Below, we'll take an in-depth look at the odds and the most popular betting markets within the sport.
Understanding the Odds
The odds you'll encounter when it comes to MMA betting are the projections that oddsmakers use to indicate the potential payout of a real money bet as well as the likelihood that it will happen. There are several kinds of odds in the online gambling world, but the most popular among Canadian bettors is American. Getting to grips with American odds is simple once you know how to read the (+) and (-) symbols.
When the odds are negative, the number shown next to the minus (-) symbol will tell you how much you'll need to bet to get a return on a $100 wager. When a market has positive odds, the number shown next to the plus (+) symbol tells you how much you'll win if you place a $100 wager. Now that you have a better understanding of how to read odds, let's take a look at the types of MMA bets you can make in 2025.
Types of MMA Bet Markets
Betting markets are essentially the outcomes that Canadian bettors can place their real money bets on. The MMA betting menu is not as broad when compared to other sporting events around the world, and betting markets for this sport will greatly depend on the magnitude of the fight. It should come as no surprise that title bouts tend to stir up more betting markets. However, most MMA betting markets include the following 5 types of bets:
- Moneyline - There's no denying that one of the most popular betting markets in MMA betting, as with any other sport in Canada, is the moneyline bet. This is where a punter will simply select a fighter to win the bout outright. Should that fighter emerge victorious, whether that be by decision, TKO, KO, or otherwise, you will win your bet. If the fighter loses the bout, you will lose your stake.
- Round Betting - A typical MMA fight is usually three rounds in length. However, a main or title fight length is often five rounds. With Round betting, you are basically wagering on which round the bout will likely end in. Canadian bettors don't have to select the fighter who will win the bout. Instead, you just have to predict the round the fight will end in.
- Prop Betting - The UFC or MMA doesn't feature as many prop bets as other sports. However, there are still a handful of options to explore, such as the method of victory prop. With this prop bet, bettors will need to predict in what way the fighter will win the bout. For instance, TKO, decision, submission, and more.
- Futures - This bet type is very popular in other sporting events where they have a start and end date to each season. However, this is not the case with MMA and UFC, making futures bets very difficult to find online. However, long-term wagers on an up-and-coming fighter that might eventually end up becoming the champion is possible.
- Parlays - This is an extremely popular way for Canadians to bet on UFC or MMA fights. Paylay betting is when multiple wagers are combined into a single bet. However, you will need to win every wager to be successful with parlay betting. Canadians can place a parlay by selecting fighters to win across several bouts, or by placing multiple bets within the same fight if the online sportsbook will allow it.
Legal Landscape of MMA Betting in Canada
Online sports betting in Canada has undergone positive changes in the five years. You can now play bets on single events as this was legalized in August 2021. Prior to that it was parlays only which led a lot of Canadians to use offshore betting sites.
It is still illegal to operate a sportsbook in the country (more on that below), Canadians can place bets on MMA, UFC, and any other sporting event. With that in mind, let's take a look at how you can choose a legal and reliable online betting platform on both desktop and mobile devices below.
Guide to Choosing Legal Betting Platforms in Canada
Each provincial government in Canada operates their own sportsbooks that you'll find at corner stores, land-based casinos, and even online casinos. However, these sportsbooks tend to provide tiny payouts and terrible odds. Ontario is the exception now that they have opened up their online gambling market. This is great news for Ontarians, but for everyone else, here's a guide to help you choose a legal and reliable online sportsbook with great odds.
The best Canadian online casinos with sportsbooks are usually situated offshore (with the exception of Ontario), but there's no law that stops you from registering. Below are some things we suggest you look at before making any decisions though.
- Licensing and Security - Make sure the betting site is licensed and regulated. The licensing information is usually displayed in the footer. The Malta Gaming Authority and Kahnawake Gaming Commission are both good and for those in Ontario the site must hold an iGaming Ontario license from the AGCO.
- Promotions and Bonuses - If you're planning to place bets on any MMA fights you might want to check to see if there are any free bet offers available on signup. It's also a good idea to check the terms and conditions and see if regular promotions that will be of value to you are offered.
- Competitive Lines and Odds - The biggest difference in online sportsbooks is the odds they give for the same event. This is definitely something to look at. Most betting sites will offer the same markets but will be competing on price. Make sure you compare a few so you always get the best odds.
- Sports Coverage - While MMA or UFC might be your primary reason for choosing an online sportsbook, make sure there's plenty of other options too. This will make it easier to bet on other sports without having to register with another site.
- Live Betting Opportunities - Placing bets while the fight takes place is exciting and to do this you need to make sure in-play betting is included. With this you can watch the fight and place extra bets with updated odds in real time.
- Payment Methods - Check how many options there are for adding money to your account and cashing out your winnings. Visa and MasterCard are standard but if you want to use Interac, PayPal, or even cryptocurrencies, you'll need to make sure they're available. Also check if there are any hidden fees.
- Customer Service - There's nothing worse needing help and finding out it's not available. Check the customer support options. Make sure it's available 24/7 and that there's several ways to get help. You can even test it out before sign up just to make sure it works.
- Ease of Use - The final step to ensure you register with a legal, reputable, and reliable sportsbook online is to go through the site and make sure everything you want is there and that the site is easy to use even on mobile.
Responsible Betting Practices
The best online sportsbooks with MMA betting will have responsible gambling tools that you can use. These are required by a number of licensing authorities and are key to helping you stay in contro. You will be able to set deposit and loss limits and self-exclude and take breaks if you need to. They also provide links to helpful organization so there's always help available if you need it.
Should you ever feel that you are developing a gambling problem, you need to ensure that you have support from the online operator to assist you. Any reputable online sportsbook will uphold the Gambling Act principles and will conduct their operations responsibly and safely so that online gambling can be enjoyable instead of harming individuals and their loves ones.
