JILI GAMES UFC Odds: Favourites, Methods and Rounds
UFC odds start with a two-way price on the winner, with a favourite shown as a minus number and an underdog as a plus number.
- JILI GAMES PK Betting
- PK is short for pick'em: a spread of zero, with no favourite and no underdog.
- JILI GAMES MPBL Betting
- MPBL odds come as three prices per game: a moneyline on the winner, a spread on the margin and a total on the combined score.
UFC odds are several prices on one fight, not one. The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event, later called UFC 1, in Denver, Colorado on November 12, 1993, according to Wikipedia, and a card today carries a price on the winner, a price on how the fight ends and a line on how long it lasts.
This page reads each of those and shows the arithmetic. The general rules for odds formats and settlement are on the sports betting basics pillar, and every price below is a labelled example, not a current line.
Reading UFC odds: favourite and underdog prices
A fight has two sides and, in most cases, no points handicap, so the winner market is a two-way moneyline. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council glossary defines a money line wager as a wager on the outcome of a sporting event outright, with fixed odds.
Take an example fight between Fighter A and Fighter B.
| American | Decimal | Implied chance | Return on stake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter A (favourite) | -250 | 1.40 | 71.4% | ₱250 returns ₱350 |
| Fighter B (underdog) | +210 | 3.10 | 32.3% | ₱100 returns ₱310 |
The favourite carries a minus number: the stake needed to make 100 of profit. The underdog carries a plus number: the profit on a 100 stake. Add the two chances and the total is 103.7%, the margin built into the pair.
The conversion works like any other. For -250, divide 100 by 250 and add 1 to get 1.40. For +210, divide 210 by 100 and add 1 to get 3.10. A pk betting line for a pick’em fight has prices close to 1.91 on each side.
Method of victory
A method market prices how the fight ends. Wikipedia’s page on the UFC defines the three standard ways a fight is decided.
- Knockout: a fighter is put into a state of unconsciousness resulting from any legal strike.
- Technical knockout (TKO): the referee decides a fighter cannot continue.
- Submission: a fighter taps the mat or the opponent, verbally submits, or communicates being in pain to the degree that the referee stops the fight.
If the fight reaches its time limit, the judges decide. Wikipedia’s page on MMA rules lists the possible decisions: unanimous, majority and split decision wins, and unanimous, majority and split draws.
A typical method market lists each fighter with each method, so a six-way list is common. Example prices might read Fighter A by knockout or TKO at 2.60, Fighter A by submission at 9.00 and Fighter A by decision at 4.00. Each one converts as before: 1 divided by 2.60 is about 38.5%.
Round betting and the distance
The round line asks how long the fight lasts. Wikipedia’s page on MMA rules says every round is five minutes with a one-minute rest, that non-title fights do not normally exceed three rounds, and that title matches can be sanctioned for five. The main event of a UFC card is often granted five rounds by dispensation.
Two kinds of round market are common.
| Market | What it asks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Total rounds | Does the fight end before or after a half-round line? | Over 2.5 rounds at 1.80, under 2.5 at 2.00 |
| Round or group | In which round, or which group of rounds, does the fight end? | Round 1 at 5.50 |
A half-round line cannot push, which is the same reason a spread uses half-points. Where the half falls inside the round is set by the sportsbook, so read its rule for the round total before you stake.
Draws, no contests and cancelled bouts
Three results are not a clean winner and a loser.
- Draw. Judges can score a fight as a draw. Wikipedia’s page on MMA rules lists a unanimous draw, a majority draw and a split draw. A two-way winner market has no draw price, so the sportsbook’s rules say whether the stake is returned.
- No contest. The same page says that if a foul incapacitates a fighter, the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. The sportsbook’s rules say how a no contest is settled.
- Cancelled or postponed bout. The Tennessee glossary describes a cancelled wager as a wager that cannot be determined under the sportsbook’s approved house rules. A fighter swapped before the card and a card moved to another date are handled in those rules.
No single settlement convention is printed here, because the rule that applies is the one in the sportsbook’s own settlement section. Open it and find the combat-sports entry before staking. The wider rules for push and void sit on the pillar page.
You backed the favourite at -250 and the fight was ruled a draw, but the screen shows no payout.
A two-way winner market carries no draw price. The sportsbook’s own rules for draws decide whether the stake is returned or the bet is lost, so find that rule and apply it.
A round total of 2.5 seems to pay out before the fight ends.
A half-round line is decided at a point inside a round, and the sportsbook’s round-total rule names that point. Read it to see where the line falls and when the bet settles.
For a sport with a points margin instead of a method, see how a MPBL betting lines with a spread and total is read.
FAQ
What do the plus and minus signs mean in UFC odds?
A minus number is the favourite and shows the stake needed to profit 100, so -250 means a 250 stake profits 100. A plus number is the underdog and shows the profit on a 100 stake, so +210 means a 100 stake profits 210. Decimal odds show the same prices as 1.40 and 3.10.
What is method of victory betting in UFC?
It is a market on how the fight ends rather than only who wins. The usual groups are knockout or technical knockout, submission and decision. Wikipedia's page on the UFC defines each of these, and a sportsbook's rules say how groups like draw or disqualification are handled.
How many rounds is a UFC fight?
Wikipedia's page on mixed martial arts rules says every round is five minutes, non-title fights do not normally exceed three rounds, and title fights can be sanctioned for five. The main event of a card is often given five rounds by dispensation from the governing commission.
What happens to a UFC bet if the fight is a draw?
It depends on the sportsbook. Many winner markets offer no draw price, so the sportsbook's own settlement rules say whether the stake is returned or the bet is lost. Read that rule for fights before you stake.
What happens to a UFC bet if the bout is cancelled?
The Tennessee regulator's glossary describes a cancelled wager as one that cannot be determined under the sportsbook's approved house rules. The same house rules set what is refunded, so check them for postponed or cancelled bouts.