- 24 January
UFC Betting 2026
Rapidly rising from an underdog to an undefeated heavyweight of its division, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is, without a doubt, the most popular fighting promotion in the world today. Not a single promotion in the last twenty years has come even close to the throne of being an ultimate destination for no-holds-barred fighting across the globe than UFC. A true success story, UFC is as popular as it is influential – with the US presidential candidates in the audience and the most popular podcast in the world hosted by one of their ring announcers, they are as mainstream as sport can be, both in Canada and worldwide. This means that any fan interested in UFC betting can quickly and easily find it at the most popular betting sites – and none does it better than MelBet.
We cover each fight present on both numbered Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, offer hundreds of potential bets and betting markets for every fight, from the undercard to the main event, feature loads of statistical and historical data on the sport and each fighter, and offer our user the best odds on MMA bets they can find online! Join MelBet today and build a fortune with your knowledge of mixed martial arts. Read on to discover everything the new UFC bettor has to know about the sport, learn about the key Canadian figures in UFC history, and receive essential advice to start betting – and winning.
The Difference Between MMA and UFC: All You Need to Know
Sometimes, making the connection is a bit hard since the UFC does not mention MMA in its name, but rest assured — the UFC is MMA in the same way the CFL (or NFL) is football, and the NHL is hockey. MMA is an abbreviation for mixed martial arts, a full-contact combat sport that unifies principles and techniques from various fighting and grappling disciplines.
Still, MMA is such a broad term that someone familiar with one aspect of the sport might not be ready for full-fledged UFC betting in Canada, as rules, arenas, and fouls might change drastically from promotion to promotion. It helps, essentially, that UFC endorses and incorporates the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the main list of rules and regulations designed to bring some order into many interpretations of how and what MMA’s rules ought to be.
The key rules of UFC-branded MMA that each bettor should remember are:
The bouts are performed in an octagon-shaped cage (but, according to the rules, the more traditional ring is also allowed and is often used by other promotions);
Fights can only be concluded via the knockout, submission, or decision by the judges, or, in case of fowls or any unexpected circumstances, rules as no contest. The fighter also might be disqualified for a number of reasons, such as fouls or substance abuse, which automatically grants victory to their opponent;
The rounds last five minutes, as opposed to three-minute-rounds more common in amateur MMA;
Fouls include extra rules that are often ignored or outright dismissed in other promotions (such as the UFC’s biggest competitor in the past, Pride FC) or amateur MMA: headbutting, stomping, kicking the back of the head or a spine of a grounded opponent, and more.
Remembering these key differences helps you to prepare for your first bet. Let’s talk more about what makes betting on Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bouts so special.
Essential Features of Online UFC Betting
MMA as a whole and the UFC specifically offer a dedicated type of sports betting that some fans consider incomparable to even more popular team sports. There are critical differences between betting on UFC and other disciplines popular in the sports betting community, such as football, basketball, or hockey. For example, fighting has much more focus. Since the fight is conducted between two individuals, there is no need to encounter a team dynamic, as individual strengths and weaknesses will resolve the bout.
Assessing a single fighter is much easier than considering an entire team, as bettor can quickly compare styles, records, weight, and other key differences to make their prediction.
Besides, UFC offers more frequent events than football or basketball. All types of team sports take breaks throughout the year for a season pause, recuperation, and drafts. UFC has no such breaks – they hold the events frequently, offering bettors MMA entertainment throughout the entire year.
Tips to Know Before Placing Your Wager on the UFC Fight
After learning the key differences between UFC online betting and other popular types of sports, it’s worth considering the strategies players must employ to ensure their bets are successful! According to our experience, here at MelBet, we usually use these tricks for their fight analysis before setting their stakes:
A fighter's style in the UFC is essential to their career, and taking the styles and how they match and differ into account before the fight is vital. Even in a bout between two fighters with a clean record, any bookmaker, including MelBet, usually prefers a grappler over a striker. Modern fighters are typically proficient in every discipline that makes martial arts mixed but always favor some aspects of one style over all the others. Take note of what style works over the others, and MMA becomes as readable as rock-paper-scissors.
In most cases, a clean moneyline bet is a way to go, but if both fighters seem equal, are able to keep their cardio running for all five or three rounds, and seem well-matched, totals are the way to go. Surprise knockouts can always happen, but if you think you can predict the decision win – go for it.
Live betting is always an option here at MelBet. Whether you’re enjoying UFC betting in Ontario, Sasquachevan, or Quebec, you may join the fray at any point and explore your options! The excitement of live betting is incomparable to that of a regular one, as you’re able to react to every detail in the match with your wagers instantly, which is perfect for timely bets, like predicting the result of the current or next round, depending on the fighters form and showcase.
The Most Famous Canadian UFC Fighters
A big part of MMA’s popularity in Canada is due to the strong performance of Canadian fighters in the octagon. They include but aren’t limited to, figures such as:
George St-Pierre. Who else could’ve been the first person we mention here? Often regarded as at least one of the greatest of all time, if not THE greatest, St-Pierre is a big part of the Canadian MMA craze starting in the first years of 2010-s when he was most active and lasting still, even though the country has yet to produce a fighter of his caliber. Ending his career in 2017 with an astounding record of 26 wins and two losses, this Quebec-born fighter is still a staple when discussing Canadian MMA and UFC legacy.
Rory MacDonald. Often considered a part of one of the greatest (and, yet again, perhaps THE greatest) matches in UFC history vs. Robby Lawler, MacDonald never reached the heights St-Pierre got, but, let’s be honest, he set the bar too high. Still, Rory was one of the top players in the welterweight scene. He was an excellent technical fighter and tactician known for his never-give-up attitude and unforgettable flash that surrounded his bouts throughout his career.
Gillian Robertson. Nicknamed “The Savage” for her ruthlessness, this submission expert is one of the top female MMA stars ever born in Canada. While she never competed for the title, her set of confident victories on UFC’s Pay-Per-Views and Fight Night shows great promise in her future career, and she might be one of the best Canadian fighters currently active today.
Popular betting types on UFC
The most popular UFC betting types among MelBet users are all on one list and are waiting for you. The list is below! Let’s start:
Total Rounds
How many total rounds will the match last? Will it go full-time or end early due to TKO, knockout, submission, or disqualification? Use this bet to show off your prediction skills!
Round Win
Each UFC match consists of 3 (regular fight) or 5 (main event) rounds. In case of a decision win, the judges count the points for each round individually and sum them up for a total result. This bet allows you to predict how many rounds of a fight one of the competitors will win.
Way of Ending a Fight
Most traditional competitive sports end in either a win, loss, or a draw, while MMA offers its bettors much more diversity: fighters can win via knockout, submission, TKO (technical knockout, or rendering an opponent unable to defend), or even disqualification. All of these outcomes are measured, calculated, and presented by MelBet to our users as a betting option.
Method of Winning
The same as the previous bet, but not so neutral – instead of choosing how the fight will end, wagering on the winning method for a particular fighter allows you to predict how exactly they will win a match.
The most popular markets for UFC betting
Beyond the unique markets reserved for MMA, standard bets are also an option when participating in online UFC betting. Some of the most notable examples include:
Moneyline
The easiest bet of all allows you to determine which of the two competitors will win in their direct confrontation. Draw is also an option in this 1x2 bet, but the chances of it are almost improbable in the UFC.
Total (or over/under)
During each round, the fighters accumulate points for accurate striking and grappling, and the one with the most points wins in case of the decision win. Predict the total number of points needed to win this popular market.
Prop bets
Props in team sports are often limited, while the UFC, being much more focused on individual performance, can offer bettors a much broader range of props: first takedowns, submission attempts, the number of rounds before a knockout or a decision, the consistency of fighters' cardio and the frequency of their punches — everything is measured, calculated, and can be predicted!
Futures
Futures allow you to bet on fights that haven’t happened yet – or weren’t even announced! They include highly anticipated, so-called “dream matches” waiting to happen, like Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, and bouts that have either been announced way early or rescheduled. Futures allow you to flex your prediction muscles in an incredibly imposing way.
Parlays
Parlays are all of the above – but combined! Also known as accumulators in Europe, parlay bets allow you to make a few wagers simultaneously at different markets on a single betting slip. If it succeeds, your odds multiply to provide you with a truly outstanding payout, but if even one of your predictions (legs) on a parlay fails, the entire betting slip is void.
UFC betting odds on melbet-canada.com
All these bets are but several of your options here at MelBet for betting UFC. Yet, if there’s one thing we can guarantee, it is that whatever bet you add to your slip, the odds provided by MelBet will always be higher than anything our competition offers, and your chances and payouts are even greater on our MelBet App. We carefully observe the sports betting market in Canada and ensure that our odds are always higher in favor of our players – enter MelBet and test that statement for yourself!
How to bet on the UFC at MelBet
Betting on your favorite fighter at MelBet is as easy as pie! Here’s our compressed guide on how to start betting on UFC in Canada here at lightspeed:
Register or log in to our website – choose one-click registration to join MelBet’s list of bettors in only a second.
Top up your balance – but first, review the welcome bonus we offer to determine whether you want to enhance your experience with the first deposit offer.
Open the menu on the left side of the screen and find the UFC dedicated tab. Open the match you’re most interested in, review the odds, and click on them to add to your betting slip. Confirm it, and the bet is set – all that’s left is to wait for your payout.
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FAQ
1. How can you bet on UFC in Canada?
Explore MelBet today, register on our website, and bet on any UFC match you desire with our web service or a convenient mobile app.
2. Is UFC betting legal in Canada & Ontario?
Only when you use the services of a legal and licensed bookmaker – which MelBet, thankfully, is! Ontario is the first province in Canada to make sports betting and iGaming legal, and MelBet is one of the first sportsbooks to join the growing list of betting websites available to the citizens of this province.
3. Can I see UFC betting odds on MelBet?
To do so, please find the fight via the search function or in the UFC submenu on the site’s domain and click on the match – all the odds and betting markets are visible directly on the page.
4. What types of bets are popular on UFC?
From simple moneyline bets to totals to specific bets related to winners of a single round – every bet has its audience, and every bettor finds something suitable for themselves.
5. Can you bet on UFC live?
You sure can. Here at MelBet, we cover each fight live, and you can join in to bet on your favorite fighter when the fight is still on!
6. How does UFC betting work?
Easy, you go to the fight’s page on our website and place a bet on the outcome you predict is more likely. If your bet wins, you get a payout of your initial bet plus the odds.
7. What does over 2.5 mean in UFC betting?
It means the fighter wins by more than 2.5 points — so three or more, but not two.
8. What does over 0.5 rounds mean in UFC?
This means the fight will last longer than the first half of the first round and will not instantly end with a knockout or any other early finishes.