UFC Betting Canada: Top UFC Sportsbooks in 2024

UFC and MMA betting has taken over the globe, and it is easy to see why. You can’t match the sheer excitement of two competitors going toe-to-toe in a caged octagon, and there are many UFC betting sites that have risen to accommodate bettors' love for the sport.

If you are struggling to find the best option for UFC betting, you're not alone. There are so many it can confuse the average bettor but don't worry; we're here to help.

Below, we're dropping a guide that features the top UFC betting sites, exploring their betting apps, and diving into the UFC betting trend that is now incredibly popular.

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is one of the world's quickest-growing sports, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, is the top league in the world for it. UFC features the best MMA talent in the world, squaring off in an octagon for several rounds of combat. It is the top promotion for this sport and features the best of the best fighters who use different MMA styles like Judo, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, and more to try and get the better of their opponent.

The UFC has fighters in eight men's weight classes and four women's weight classes. The classes are dependent on how much each fighter weighs, with the smallest class being flyweight for men or strawweight for women. The heaviest men's class is heavyweight, while the heaviest women's class is strawweight.

Each class has a champion that has earned the belt and 15 ranked fighters that are ordered from 1-15 based on their track record and recent performance. Champions must win their fights, which are typically against 1-3 ranked fighters, to retain their belt. 

UFC is very popular, and every fight will have tons of markets for bettors to enjoy. UFC Betting in Canada has surged in popularity as the league is now one of the main sports leagues in the country.

Choosing which betting sites or betting apps you’re going to be doing your UFC wagering with is a crucial decision to make. Be sure to consider the sport you want to bet on, as the best UFC betting site may not also be the best NBA betting site.

So what does it take to make our list?

We look for trustworthiness, reliability, great UFC odds, and a fun experience. If you’re searching for a site that offers all this and more, below are some sportsbooks that live up to the UFC betting hype:

Betting on the UFC and MMA is like betting on any other sport or other markets that might interest you, you’re going to need to stay current with the events going on in the sport. If you do so, you’ll be aware of the major betting trends that can help provide you with an edge.

If you are a relative novice at UFC betting, we’re here to help. We’ve developed a quick guide of terms and information that you will need to know throughout your UFC betting journey:

• Odds → Odds are the projections oddsmakers use to indicate the payout of a bet and the likelihood that it will occur. There are numerous kinds of odds, but the most popular for Canadians is American. How this works is that if a market has negative odds, whatever number you see next to the minus (-) symbol is how much you’ll need to bet to earn returns of $100 bucks. If your market has positive odds, whatever you see next to the plus (+) symbol is how much you’ll win if you put down $100.
• Markets → Markets are the different outcomes that bettors are placing their bets on to either happen or not happen. UFC bettors have different markets to pick from than other sports. Let’s look at some popular UFC markets to know.
  • Moneyline → One of the most popular betting markets in UFC betting as with any sport is the moneyline bet where a punter simply chooses a man or woman to win the bout. If that person does emerge victorious, whether by KO, TKO, decision, or otherwise, your bet’s a winner, if not, you’re a loser.
  • Round Betting → The typical length of a UFC fight is three rounds, but a title or main event fight goes five. Round betting is wagering on which round the fight will likely end in. You don’t have to pick the victorious fighter, just the round the bout will end in.
  • Prop Betting → UFC doesn’t have prop bets as much as some sports, but there are still some to choose from, like the method of victory prop. This predicts what way the winning fighter will win, so for example, submission, decision, TKO, and more.
  • Futures → Futures bets are common in most other sports where they have a set season start and season end date, but that’s not so with the UFC, which makes futures bets very tough. You would be hard-pressed to find any, but long-term bets on up-and-coming fighters to eventually become the champ could be out there.
• Parlays → One highly popular way to bet on the UFC for Canadians is to do parlays. Parlays are when multiple bets are joined into one single bet, with all events needing to occur for the bet to hit. UFC bettors can place parlays on an entire card, picking each fighter to win, and some can put multiple bets on the same fight if their sportsbook allows it.

Understanding the terms and language in UFC betting will only get you so far. That is why we’ve pulled together some useful information and insights that will help you to start winning big on UFC betting.

Below are some betting tips to ensure you have the ideal UFC betting experience:

• Learn the Game→ The UFC is not like baseball, where there is so much to keep up with. There are only weekly fights, so staying on top of what's going on is easy. Do you want to find success with your UFC betting? Learn the game. Watch many of the bouts, follow the pre-fight chatter, and you'll have all the insights you need to start making money wagering on this sport.
• Keep Track of Styles→ Everyone fights a different style in the UFC, with some fighters elite takedown artists that hope to ground opponents into submission and others stand-up boxers looking to score a massive knockout punch. Learn about each fighter's style and how they match up against their opponent's styles. This will help you make a more informed pick of who will win.
• Avoid Heavy Favorites → Upsets happen in mixed martial arts and the UFC, especially at a much higher clip than most other sports, which is why there's just not much value in betting on heavy favorites. There are definitely some fighters that are sure things (think Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes) but apart from that, there's always more value to be found by betting on the method of victory or round of victory markets instead.

Whatever sports betting site you decide to start your UFC betting journey with, betting bonuses and promotions are going to be a part of the process. Sign-up bonuses are common on just about every major operator, and most sportsbooks have bonuses outside of these offers as well. Sign-up bonuses are an offer bettors receive just from signing up and depositing with an operator. Typically, bettors will get free bets or a matched deposit up to a certain amount.

Outside of welcome bonuses, there are many kinds of bonus offers that the UFC bettor will want to keep track of. There are things like boosted odds, where sportsbooks will improve the odds on a specific market for bettors, leading to boosted potential winnings.

There are boosted parlays, where parlay bets get additional winnings. Free bet offers are when sportsbooks give bettors the ability to place risk-free bets on different events, where the bettor gets to keep the winnings. Always check out the different betting offers on a UFC betting site, so you can see what's available, but it is important to read the terms and conditions.

One of the big reasons UFC betting is so popular is that there aren't as many rules as in many other sports. It's basically two people in the octagon for 15 (or 25 for a main event or championship bout) minutes, and whoever beats up the other one more comes out victorious.

This doesn’t mean there are no rules to be aware of, though. There are such things as illegal strikes, such as elbows to the back of the head, eye pokes, low blows, and knees to the head of a downed opponent, the latter of which often results in immediate disqualification. If a fighter is unable to continue due to an illegal strike that was deemed intentional, the offending fighter will be disqualified, their opponent will win, and bets on the latter will cash out.

Every sportsbook has different rules, so you need to do your research if you want to succeed. There are many different caveats to keep an eye on, even if the UFC doesn't have as many rules as other sports. Most oddsmakers are generally very similar, but those small little quirks can make all the difference once in a while, so to help keep you informed, we've put together a short list of some of the most common rules for betting UFC on top sportsbooks such as Tonybet and Betway.

• If a fight results in a draw, the fight result will be deemed void, and all betting stakes will be returned to respective bettors unless that market offers a draw option.
• The result, as declared by the official announcer, will be used for settlements of all bets, and any subsequent alterations to that decision will not be taken into account. If the announcer does not make an official announcement, the result displayed on that organization’s official website will be used.
• Fights deemed ‘No Contest’ or ‘No Decision’ result in the market being void and all stakes being returned. If a fight doesn’t take place within 48 hours of the given date and time, all bets will be void as well.
• For round betting where there are half-rounds involved, two and a half minutes will define the half of that round. For example, for a bet on a fight to go over 1.5 rounds, the fight will need to last past the two-and-a-half-minute mark of the second round to payout.
• If a fighter fails to come out for the next round, bets will be settled on his opponent getting the win in the previous round.
• ‘Win by Finish’ bets mean a fighter must win by KO, TKO, submission, or DQ. Doctor’s stoppages will count as a TKO.
• If about ends in a technical draw (draw decision before the end of the scheduled number of rounds), then 'Fight to go the distance' bets will stand.

No matter if you have placed thousands of UFC bets or are preparing to make your first one, having a cohesive strategy is going to be a crucial part of your betting journey. It is important to develop a strategy based on your own risk assessments and to remain vigilant and careful.

Below, we've come up with some important tips that can help you build a UFC betting strategy that brings in major results.

• Use UFC Parlays Wisely Parlay Betting – Don't get too carried away with parlay bets, as they are risky and can come back to bite you if you aren't careful. The best way to use parlays when it comes to UFC betting is to limit the number of bets you put in each parlay. One thing bettors can do with parlays is add heavy favorites to a parlay, so they are still wagering on the outcome without the limited payouts that come from placing bets on big favorites.
• Understand Each Fighter –  UFC is not a team sport. It features one person locked in a cage with another person. Learn about the individuals in each matchup. Find out their fight style, the different matchups they've won, and how they've won them. Find out if they have any UFC losses and the type of fighters that were able to beat them. The more you know about each fighter, the likelier you are to pick the right one to triumph. Read up on how their training has gone, the weight cut they've done, and any pertinent pre-fight details.
• Shop for Lines – One of the most important strategies in all betting, not just UFC betting, is line shopping. This might sound complicated to inexperienced gamblers, but the reality is that it is incredibly simple. How line shopping works is that every bookmaker has different odds and lines. There is not a single uniform line for any event. What that means is that if you are confident in any single outcome, every sportsbook will have different odds for that outcome. Typically, the odds are mostly similar, but there are still enough differences that it is advantageous for bettors to look at different sportsbooks' lines and pick the one that is most favorable to them.
• Find Your Ideal Sportsbook – Shopping for lines is also a great way to familiarize yourself with several different sportsbooks and betting sites and the various advantages and disadvantages each one offers when it comes to UFC betting. Because MMA is still a relatively new sport in a lot of places around the world, many sportsbooks offer only simple Moneyline bets for many of the big-time UFC bouts while offering no markets on the smaller undercard fights. The sportsbook you pick for your UFC betting experience will have a broad impact on your overall enjoyment. There is a high likelihood that if you pick a sportsbook with a limited user experience and not a lot of betting markets, you aren’t going to be happy with the overall results. That is why browsing your options first is a must!

We’ve told you some of the crucial selling points of UFC wagering, but if you don’t know how to use these sportsbooks apps, then none of that matters.

Using the best UFC betting apps should feel easy and fun because a well-designed mobile sportsbook will have a straightforward layout that allows bettors to benefit from them. But if you've never used a betting app before, this can be confusing. Below, we'll offer a breakdown of how you can use UFC betting apps.

1. Step One: Research. The first thing you’ll want to do before placing any bets is research to find the best UFC betting app. Look at the features, the online reviews, and the different security methods they offer. Then decide whether it is a sportsbook you want to use or not.
2. Step Two: Download. Once you’ve decided on an operator, you’ll need to download their mobile offering. You can do this on the App Store or Google Play Store. Search for the app in the toolbar and download it directly to your device.
3. Step Three: Register. Once you’ve downloaded an app, you need to create an account. This will require some personal information like your address, contact details, and date of birth. If you are using a licensed and regulated operator, you can feel comfortable knowing your info is secure.
4. Step Four: Deposit. Next, you'll need to deposit with the sportsbook. We've reviewed this process already. It should be fast and efficient and require you to select your payment type and input the payment details. The money should then hit your account.
5. Step Five: Begin. Once you have created and funded an account, you can now begin placing UFC bets! Visit the UFC section of the mobile app to see their offerings.

We’ve answered some user questions about UFC betting, but there are always more to come. That is why we have decided to tackle even more questions that seem to often come up when discussing UFC betting sites and the UFC betting experience.

❔ What Does a No Contest Mean in UFC Fights?

A no-contest is a result that can happen when fights are discontinued. What will typically cause a no contest is that one fighter illegally strikes another fighter. Illegal strikes can be groin blows or eye pokes, and these often cause fighters to be unable to continue. If one fighter is unable to continue, the fight is declared a no-contest. If the illegal blow is intentional, the fighter that did it is disqualified and takes a loss, but most of the time, it is simply like the fight never happened.

❔ How Do No Contests Work in Betting?

If the fight you bet on ends in a no-contest, then most sportsbooks will refund the bet as a push. If the fight ends as a disqualification, then the bet still counts, with bets paid out according to who won or lost. If you bet something like a round bet, picking a fighter to win in the 2nd round, and the no-contest occurs in the 3rd round, you still lost the bet. If you bet on a fight to end in the 2nd round, and the no-contest happens in the 1st round, you will receive your money back.

❔ What happens to my round betting wager if a fight ends between rounds?

If a fighter withdraws or a referee calls a fight between rounds, the fight will be deemed to have finished in the previous round for any round betting wagers.

❔ Can I bet on MMA other than UFC events?

Yes, you can. They are much harder markets to find, but sports betting sites such as Betway, 888, and SIA will usually post Moneyline odds, at the least, for big Bellator events and DWCS episodes.