UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) can trace its origins back 30 years to when the first ever UFC fight was held at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. The event drew a few thousand people and was considered a modest success. 30 years later UFC is a multi-billion pound, worldwide sporting phenomenon and a major draw for punters. In this guide we’re going to take a close look at the best UFC betting sites in the UK and what makes them that.
Best UFC Betting Sites
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bet365
bet365 excel in just about every department of online betting so it’s no surprise their UFC offerings would be extensive, their odds competitive and their UFC betting offers and promos innovative and generous. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another bookmaker that offers more UFC markets or better customer service. And they top it all off with a Bet £10 Get £30 Welcome Offer that can be claimed using the famous bet365 bonus code today.
William Hill
William Hill have long been industry leaders when it comes to boxing coverage, so it’s only natural that they’d expand into UFC and do a bang-up job there too. They cover all UFC bouts, provide a variety of markets on each (including special markets), and offer Live Streaming and In-Play betting to boot. If that's not enough for you consider their Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets Welcome Offer.
Betfred
Betfred provides comprehensive coverage of all things UFC along with betting tips, predictions, advice on formulating a betting strategy and Live In-Play betting on every UFC bout. Their range of markets isn’t quite up to that which you’ll find at William Hill, but it's still among the best UFC betting sites. With their competitive odds, Bet Builder feature, UFC acca insurance and outstanding Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets Welcome Offer they’re worthy of your consideration.
BetVictor
When it comes to UK UFC betting Betfred do not stand out for any one thing. Instead, they earn a place on our list of best betting sites for UFC due to the overall quality of their product. Competitive odds? Check. Live Streaming? Check. In-Play betting? Check. A wealth of markets? Check. Variety of payment methods? Check and check and check. Their Bet £10 Get £40 Welcome Offer is also among the best you’ll find.
Betway
Betway is always good for some high-quality existing customer promos and right now they have one of the best UFC betting offers out there. Bet £25 on a UFC acca and receive £10 in Free Bets to use as you wish. Beyond that their UFC coverage is extensive, odds competitive, Live Streaming reliable and their £30 matched free bet if your first acca loses + 50 bonus spins is a good way to start.
BetUK
BetUK is new to the online betting scene in the UK but they don’t seem like newcomers. Their range of markets, state-of-the-art Live Streaming and UFC related promos are enough to win over the heart of the most hard-bitten punter. Just to sweeten the pot a little more they’ll also give you £30 in Free Bets if you open a new account and deposit only £10.
Virgin Bet
Virgin Bet covers every single officially sanctioned UFC bout with myriad markets, price boosts on some fights, crystal clear Live Streaming, In-Play betting and more. Their Bet £10 Get £20 Welcome Offer is a good way to get started on their platform and, for the most part, you'll find plenty of UFC-related action with competitive odds and the occasional speciality market thrown in for good luck.
LiveScore Bet
LiveScore Bet is one of the newer UK online betting sites but they charged out of the gate offering outstanding coverage of those sports punters want to see, like UFC. They cover all the major UFC fights while providing an array of MMA betting markets and plenty of related promos including boosted odds on specific markets. Their Bet £10 Get £20 Welcome Offer is solid and there is plenty to like here for UFC fans.
Mr.Play
Mr. Play is also newbies to the UK online betting space but like LiveScore Bet you'd never know it. They provide extensive UFC and MMA coverage with lots of promos and speciality markets, competitive odds and surprisingly good customer service. New customers at Mr.Play can claim their bet £10 get £10 welcome offer when they create an account today.
How to Join the Best Betting Sites for UFC
Opening an account with one of the best betting sites for UFC is a surprisingly simple process. Joining UK new betting sites generally are completed in the same manner. Here’s how it’s done.
- Choose the UFC betting site you want to join from the list above.
- Click 'claim offer' to begin claiming their welcome offer.
- You will then be taken to the bookmaker's registration page.
- Fill in all required fields on the application form.
- Choose a username and password or opt for biometric login if available.
- Accept the site’s T&Cs.
- Tap the “Join Now” or equivalent button.
That’s it! Now all you have to do is fund your account using one of the bookmakers accepted payment methods. Just be aware that to take advantage of their New Customer Offer you’ll probably have to make your first deposit with a debit card.
Popular UK UFC Betting Markets
UFC is like boxing in that it’s both free-flowing (during the rounds) and stop-and-go with its round-by-round structure. This duality produces quite a variety of betting markets. These are some of the most popular when it comes to UFC betting in the UK.
To Win Fight
The most basic (and most popular) of all UFC betting markets To Win means just that. You guess who will emerge victorious when the fight is over. If the fight ends up a unanimous or majority draw (2 out of 3 judges calling it a draw) you lose your stake.
Method of Victory
There’s more than one way to win a fight and you have to bet on which way you think the winner will secure their victory. Will it be by KO? TKO? Unanimous decision? Split decision? Before you bet on this market do some research on the fighters involved and how they normally win.
Round Betting
Another of the most popular UFC markets is round betting. There are actually several ways you can bet on a round. You can bet that the fight will end in a particular round, that a particular fighter will get knocked down in the round, or that they’ll win the round on points. The incremental nature of UFC fighting also lends itself to In-Play betting, and a lot of In-Play bets have to do with particular events happening in specific rounds.
To Go The Distance
Do the fighters involved have what it takes to go the distance? All the best betting sites for UFC will offer this market. Again, though, you’ll want to research your fighters first to see if one or both of them typically make it across the finish line upright.
UFC Accumulators
Accumulators, or “accas” as they’re commonly called, are composite bets made up of at least 4 markets, referred to as “legs”. The lure of the acca is that if you hit on all 4 legs you stand to enjoy a significant payoff. The best betting sites for UFC also offer what's called "acca insurance". With acca insurance, if you only miss by 1 leg your stake is returned to you in the form of a Free Bet credit.
Bet Builder
The Bet Builder is similar to the acca in that it’s a composite bet. The difference between the two is that Bet Builders allow you to select markets that may potentially influence other markets. These are called “related contingencies”. Related contingencies are not allowed in accumulator bets.
UFC Betting Offers & Bonuses
All of the best betting sites for UFC offer various bonuses and promotions intended to tempt new customers to sign up, or to reward existing customers for their patronage and loyalty. Here are some typical bonuses you will find on UFC betting sites.
New Customer Offer
New Customer Offers, also referred to as “Sign-Up Bonuses” and “Welcome Offers”, are a modest financial carrot the best UFC betting sites dangle in front of the prospective new customer to get them to tap the “Join” button. While they may take 1 of 3 forms - Bet X Get Y, Deposit Match or First Bet Guarantee - the reality is that most are Bet X Get Y offers with “Y” being a certain amount of Free Bet credits.
Free Bets
Free Bets are most often associated with New Customer Offers on UFC betting sites, but they also pop up from time to time in existing customer promotions. The name “Free Bets” needs to be taken with a grain of salt because in order to obtain these “free” bets you will almost always have to spend something. Also, it’s important to note that Free Bets are not the same as cash. If you make a wager with Free Bets and win, the Free Bet stake cannot be withdrawn.
Deposit Bonus
You won’t find too many UK UFC betting sites that will offer a Deposit Bonus these days, but it does happen occasionally. With the Deposit Bonus, the bookmaker offers to match a percentage of your initial deposit up to a certain limit. So if they offer to match 25% of your first deposit up to £50 you would need to deposit £200 to glean that £50 from the bookmaker. Sometimes the percentage will be 50%.
Odds Boost
Odds boosts are usually part of the bookmaker's existing customer promos and can be found on most of the best UFC betting sites. The bookmaker will target a specific market and take a reduced premium in order to boost UFC odds and increase the potential payout for punters.
Loyalty Club
Not all of the best betting sites for UFC feature loyalty clubs but most do. The customer earns loyalty points for every real money bet they make (bets made using Free Bets and other promos do not count). How many points depends on the size of the bet. Once the punter has amassed enough loyalty points they may be able to turn them in for Free Bets or they may be able to convert them to cash. It depends on the site. Normally, if the customer reaches a certain number of points they will earn VIP status which brings with it additional perks.
How We Choose the Best UFC Betting Sites
In order to reach an objective conclusion about which UK UFC betting websites are the best we apply a variety of criteria designed to separate the wheat from the chaff. Let’s look at those criteria now.
Range of UFC Markets
Because UFC bouts are both free-flowing within the confines of each round, and incremental in that a bout progresses 1 round at a time, it’s ideally suited to generate a plethora of betting markets. When we examine a site to see if it’s one of the best UFC betting sites we want to see all the standard markets alongside innovative speciality markets and plenty of In-Play betting opportunities.
Coverage
Every year the UFC holds approximately 40 events worldwide. For a site to be considered one of the best UFC sites it has to cover each and every one. Not buts.
Licensing
The only way to be certain that a UFC betting site is secure and on the up-and-up is to make sure they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. The UKGC does not abide nonsense and is quick to swoop in and levy multi-million-pound fines if they detect questionable activity on a betting site they license. All of the UFC betting sites on our list are fully licensed by the UKGC.
Bonuses & Free Bets
If you’re looking for a way to increase your account balance ahead of a big UFC fight, taking advantage of promos that provide Free Bets is a good idea. So we look for UFC sites that provide plenty of Free Bet opportunities. We also want to see plenty of existing customer promos and bonuses because, after all, it’s loyal customers that make the bookmaker’s world go round.
UFC Betting Odds
A betting site can have the best mobile app, provide blanket coverage of UFC matches from around the world and offer an outstanding Welcome Bonus, but if the UFC betting odds it offers are tilted too much in the bookmaker’s favour none of the bells and whistles matter. We only chose UFC sites for our list that provide a fair shake for the punter in terms of odds.
UFC Betting Apps
All the betting sites for UFC on our list also provide a free mobile app that can be downloaded and installed. These apps feature everything you will find on the bookmaker’s standard website but they load faster, work better when your internet connection is a bit dodgy and often feature app-only bonuses you won’t find on the desktop or mobile website. Find some of the best UK betting apps in our list featured above.
FAQs
What are the Best UFC Betting Sites?
All of the UFC betting sites profiled above have earned the right to be considered among the best UFC betting sites.
Can I join more than one UFC Bookmaker?
Yes, you can join more than one UFC bookmaker. There is the option for sports betting fans to join each of the betting sites that are listed above and to claim each of the new customer offers that come with them. Doing this also gives greater flexibility when it comes to deciding where to place your UFC bets. Shop around to see which UFC bookmakers are offering the best odds on the fights and markets that you are interested in betting on.
How do I bet on UFC?
Open your favourite UFC betting site and tap the UFC tab in the navigation panel. This will take you to their UFC page where you’ll find a list of matches available to bet on.
- Tap the match you’re interested in.
- When the page for that match opens, tap the market you want to bet on.
- Enter the amount of your bet.
- Double check that everything is correct.
- Then tap “Place Bet” or the equivalent button.
Are UFC Betting Sites legal?
Yes, UFC betting sites are legal. Every betting site profiled in this guide is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. As such, everything that occurs on those sites is legally sanctioned by the British government.