Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 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.
UFC 300 Schedule
UFC 300 takes center stage this weekend, Sunday, 14th April, 2024 at 03:00 AM GMT. The main event will see light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defend his belt against current no.1 contender Jamahal Hill in what is sure to be a stellar occasion. Prior to this, Zhang Weili will defend her strawweight championship against Yan Xiaonan, with the pair looking to put on a show for the title there. The T-Mobile arena will see 13 fights take place on the night, with many fighters looking to make their case as number 1 contenders for their respective weight divisions.
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 will 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.
BetMGM
Players signing up to BetMGM can claim £40 in free bets when they deposit and wager a minimum of £10 as a new customer. BetMGM is relatively new to the UK betting market, but is quickly establishing itself as one of the best betting sites in the country. Punters can take advantage of some top sports betting markets as well as a top selection of UFC betting options.
William Hill
William Hill has long been an industry leader when it comes to boxing coverage, so it is only natural that they would 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.
Sky Bet
New customers at Sky Bet can claim £30 in free bets when they place any bet with the sportsbook. Players are required to deposit a minimum of £5 to qualify for this welcome offer and then wager a total of 0.05p or more on any sports market, including the UFC. Players can expect to receive their free bets in the form of 3 x £10 free bet tokens, if they qualify.
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 is not quite up to that which you will 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.
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 is done.
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Choose the UFC betting site you want to join from the list above.
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Click 'claim offer' to begin claiming their welcome offer.
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You will then be taken to the bookmaker's registration page.
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Fill in all required fields on the application form.
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Choose a username and password or opt for biometric login if available.
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Accept the site’s T&Cs.
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Tap the “Join Now” or equivalent button.
That’s it! Now all you will 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 will probably have to make your first deposit with a debit card.
Popular UK UFC Betting Markets
UFC is like boxing in that it is 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 is 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 will 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 will 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 is 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 is 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 will not 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 us 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 is 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 are 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 is 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 will not find on the desktop or mobile website. Find some of the best UK betting apps in our list featured above.
What to do if you have a gambling problem
We understand that gambling can be fun, but it is important to gamble responsibly. If you are struggling with a gambling problem, please do not hesitate to ask for help. There are people who can help you get on the road to recovery.
Here are some resources that can help you:
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National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
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GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
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GambleAware: https://www.begambleaware.org/
FAQs
What are the Best UFC Betting Sites?
All of the UFC betting sites on the aforementioned list are eligible since they have shown to be among the best.
Can I join more than one UFC Bookmaker?
You are able to sign up with multiple UFC bookmakers. Sports bettors have the choice to sign up for accounts at any of the betting sites mentioned above and take advantage of all of the welcome bonuses that are offered. You will also have more freedom to choose where to put your UFC wagers by doing this. Look around to find out which UFC bookmakers are providing the greatest odds for the matches and markets you want to bet on.
How do I bet on UFC?
Navigate to your preferred UFC betting website and select the UFC tab from the menu. This will direct you to their UFC page, where you can see a schedule of fights that are open for wagering.
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Tap the match you are interested in.
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When the page for that match opens, tap the market you want to bet on.
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Enter the amount of your bet.
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Double check that everything is correct.
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Then tap “Place Bet” or the equivalent button.
Are UFC Betting Sites legal?
Betting on UFC events is allowed. All of the betting websites on this list have licenses from the UK Gambling Commission. Therefore, everything that occurs on these websites is legal, according to British regulators.
Written By: Dean Carr | Fact Checked By: Sarah Lunness
