The UFC has taken big strides over the last decade to gain popularity across the United States. This popularity took a big step forward when ESPN became the exclusive broadcast partner of the UFC allowing more Americans to watch the events on a weekly basis. The easy access to viewing most of the UFC fights also resulted an increase in the amount of bets placed on UFC fights in the USA.
On this page I will recommend our top rated betting sites for Americans, touch on the legal climate of sports betting in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, look at the most popular UFC bets you can make online, and finish up with a 3 step guide outlining how to bet on the UFC online.
Best UFC Sportsbook for Americans
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
Bovada and BetOnline are our two recommended betting site for Americans interested in betting on the UFC. These are the two most popular sportsbooks serving the United States market, and for good reason.
Both Bovada and BetOnline accepts players from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, but for the remainder of this guide I will be using Bovada.lv for all examples.
Sports Betting in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin
There is currently regulated sports betting in Illinois and Iowa, while Wisconsin has sports betting available through three federally recognized tribes.
Illinois began allowing regulated sports betting operations in March of 2020. This move came just 9 months after Illinois lawmakers passed a gaming bill that will allow for both online and in-person sports betting within the state. Illinois currently has eight regulated online sportsbooks available to residents.
In Iowa, legal sports betting arrived in August of 2019. The operators moved fast in Iowa, opening their doors only three months after the bill to legalize sports betting was signed into law.
Wisconsin has yet to announce a bill devoted to sports betting. There are still no regulated sports betting options for Wisconsin residents, but sports betting is offered by three federally recognized tribes who were able to amend their state compacts to allow sports betting at their tribal casinos and reservation land properties.
Whether you live in Illinois, Iowa, or Wisconsin, you also have the option to place bets at offshore betting sites like Bovada and BetOnline.
Popular UFC Bets
The most popular UFC wager is simply betting on which fighter will win.
Here’s an example of the ‘to win’ odds for the Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis middleweight title fight at UFC 297:
In this example, Strickland is the favorite with odds of -140. This means a $140 bet on Strickland would win $100 (pays $240). Du Plessis has odds of +113, which means you’d have to risk $100 to win $113 (payout of $213).
Here are some other bets you can make on UFC fights with short explanations:
- Total Rounds – Bet on the length of the fight.
- Round Betting – Bet on fight winner + finishing round.
- Method of Victory – Bet on fight winner + method of victory (decision, knockout, submission).
UFC Betting in Illinois, Iowa or Wisconsin – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to get your bets placed on UFC fights from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and fill out the short form on the homepage to open your account.
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for USA residents.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your account and click ‘Deposit’. Select one of the deposit methods (Visa, MasterCard or bitcoin) and complete the instructions to fund your account.
You are entitled to a 50% matching bonus up to $250 on your first deposit by signing up through our site.
Step 3. Place Your UFC Bets
It’s time to place your bets!
Click on ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar, open the ‘All Sports (A-Z)’ drop down menu and select ‘UFC/MMA’. Select the bet you want to make and enter your wager on the ‘Bet Slip’ in the right sidebar. When you are happy with the bet click ‘Place Bets’ to lock it in.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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