As the MMA industry continues to grow and regulated sports betting becomes more available, it’s no wonder that mma betting has become increasingly popular. Whether you’re just getting started or are an experienced bettor, here are some tips to help you make the best wagers possible.

Know your fighters: Look beyond the hype and big names to understand each fighter’s style and technique. Matching fighters with opponents who play to their strengths is a great way to maximize your profits.

Line shop: With a growing number of legal sportsbooks, you should always be shopping around to get the best price on your MMA betting picks. It may only be a few points, but those extra points can add up over the long run. Also, don’t be afraid to move your money if you think the lines have moved in your favor. Favorites often take a beating from the public, and when this happens, it can give you a better price on your bets.

Parlay your bets: Because of the relatively low payouts on MMA favorites, it can be beneficial to parlay your bets. This can lead to much higher payouts than placing individual bets, but it does come with more risk as well.

Mma prop bets: MMA betting offers several unique prop bets that you won’t find in other sports betting. For example, you can bet on a specific method of victory, such as inside the distance (ITD), technical knockout (TKO), submission or a decision. You can also place an over/under bet on how many rounds the fight will last, which is based on the anticipated length of the match.

Watch out for late weight cuts: In MMA, fighters are required to make the weight limit of their respective classes in order to compete. Often, fighters who are close to missing their cut will go through extreme measures to lose weight quickly, including starving themselves and dehydrating heavily. This can leave them drained and vulnerable before the fight even begins, which can affect their performance.

Be mindful of substitutions: It’s important to note when a fighter’s opponent is replaced due to an injury or other reason. In some cases, replacement fighters have little to no experience in the sport, which can greatly affect their performance.

The most common types of MMA betting are moneyline/match bets on who will win the fight, over/under bets on how many rounds the fight will last and round bets on which fighter will win a specific round. If you’re familiar with betting on other sports, these bets will be easy to understand.