Best UFC betting sites for 2024

 (The Independent )
(The Independent )

Here at The Independent, we have reviewed and ranked the best UFC betting sites available to UK bettors, helping you find the best options for your betting needs ahead of each Fight Night and pay-per-view event.

The UFC puts on Fight Nights almost every week of the year, meaning there are plenty of chances for bettors to wager on top-level MMA action – from title fights to No 1 contender’s bouts and grudge matches.

Monthly pay-per-views offer the most intrigue for fans, but there are competitive match-ups on smaller Fight Nights, too, and plenty of opportunities to capitalise on free bets, odds boosts, accumulators and more.

Below, we talk you through the best UFC betting sites in the UK.

Best UFC betting site for free bets: William Hill

The sites we’ve selected all offer different benefits to bettors, with William Hill standing out due to its selection of free bets, for example. The betting site provides a useful sign-up offer that can be used to wager on UFC events – a perfect introduction to William Hill as one of the best UFC betting sites in the UK. If new users deposit and bet £10, they will receive £30 in free bets, an ideal sum to spread out across various bouts at a Fight Night, if a bettor wish.

William Hill also offers users a selection of prizes as part of the betting site’s Bonus Drop promotion. If players take part in the game, they will receive one free disc and can choose where to drop that disc – which can land on a ‘win’, ‘no win’ or ‘retry’ symbol. The ‘win’ symbol then hands players one of the following prizes: free spins to use on one or more specific slot games at their online casino; a free bonus to use on one or more specific slot or table games; or a cash prize which will be added to users’ main balance

Any free bets won in the game can be placed on UFC events, and on a large number of markets at that. William Hill prices up many fights well in advance across this wide range of markets, which includes UFC round betting as well as the manner of victory: submission, knockout or decision.

Furthermore, among UFC betting sites in the UK, William Hill has the largest number of future bets available to bettors, most of which have been created using the site's #YourOdds tool.

The #YourOdds feature lets punters come up with their own bet, send it in to the William Hill brokers to price up with the best ones appearing on the Hills UFC futures section.

Best UFC betting app: Coral

Meanwhile, Coral is The Independent’s pick for the UFC betting app in the UK. Coral stands out from rival betting apps due to its smooth speed and the seamless integration of features from the desktop site, which many players will already be familiar with.

Furthermore, the Coral betting app has high ratings on both the Apple app store and Google Play store, with many users having vouched for its straightforward usability.

Coral also provides players with a sign-up offer that can be used to wager on UFC fights, where customers who bet £5 will receive £20 in free bets. Coral runs a daily rewards promotion, as well, which – you guessed it – can be put towards UFC betting.

Best UFC betting site for accumulators: BoyleSports

Of course, UFC Fight Nights and pay-per-views are perfect occasions for accumulators, with many UFC bettors keen to place bets on multiple bouts on a single card. AndThe Independent believes BoyleSports is the best UFC betting site in the UK when it comes to accumulator bets.

That’s because BoyleSports offers Acca Insurance and Acca Boost options. If you’re confident that your pick is a lock, you can back yourself with Acca Boost. That means if your acca bet goes on to win, Boyles will boost your profits, starting with a three per cent boost for trebles, up to a 100 per cent boost for winning 14 folds.

Or, if you’re uncertain on a selection, you can choose to insure your pick and BoyleSports will refund your stake as a free bet of up to £20 if one leg of your acca lets you down.

Furthermore, for every five accas that a user places, which are worth £5 or more and have combined odds of 3/1 or greater, BoyleSports will offer a free £5 acca. And that’s not all: new customers can take advantage of a sign-up offer that provides £20 in free bets, which are eligible for use on UFC fights.

Best UFC betting site for odds boosts: Kwiff

It’s also worth looking out for odds boosts when wagering on UFC fights, and Kwiff is our pick for the best betting site in the UK when it comes to these particular deals.

Kwiff offers a unique ‘supercharged’ odds function for bettors, providing punters with enhanced pay-outs on selected UFC bets – showing that the site is keen on serving UFC bettors as best as possible.

With Kwiff’s Supercharge function, players are guaranteed to have their first accumulator of the weekend boosted, so long as it features a minimum of three selections. That offer is available once per weekend, but there’s a chance Kwiff will boost their odds at any time.

In fact, Kwiff also randomly boosts odds, making it an exciting choice for punters looking for unexpected value in UFC betting. The site also has a Sports Reward Club, another means by which players can secure free, surprise bets – by wagering on UFC, no less.

Best UFC bookmaker for in-play betting: BetUK

And what about in-play UFC betting? The Independent’s experts have BetUK as the best option in this field, given its comprehensive selection of live betting options, fast market updates, and competitive odds for UFC fights as they unfold.

Punters can identify the fights that are available for in-play UFC betting by spotting the small ‘live’ logo next to the odds in question. Also, to help players make informed decisions, Bet UK provides lots of detailed stats and live fight updates – the latter proving especially useful given that no UK live betting sites offer live streaming of UFC bouts.

How we rank and review UFC betting sites

UFC betting sites must meet a number of important attributes before being considered by our team when we’re compiling our list of the best sites to bet on UFC, such as:

Regulation

We only ever recommend UFC betting sites that hold a valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Bookies who are not regulated are considered unsafe and we strongly recommend you to avoid engaging with them. Anyone can check the UKGC register for confirmation of a bookmakers’ licence to trade.

Welcome offer

Several bookmakers run welcome offers that are restricted to certain sports or bet types. If punters can’t use their sign up bonus to bet on UFC, then the betting site wasn’t considered for our best UFC betting sites list.

UFC betting odds & markets

Not every betting site carries UFC odds, and those that do allow you to bet on UFC don’t always have a great selection of markets. Our best UFC betting sites list features bookmakers who offer competitive prices and a decent selection of markets.

Promotions

UK betting sites don’t run many UFC-specific offers, but they do occasionally appear ahead of a big PPV bout. We’ve taken into consideration bookmakers who have offers that can be used in conjunction with UFC betting, such as accumulator boosts or free bets club.

Customer experience

We put the customer service teams at leading UFC betting sites through the ringer during our testing phase, with preference given to those who resolve issues quickly and with a minimum of fuss. We mark bookies down if they have inefficient bots sending users around in circles on their customer support channels. We also test betting apps and consider other users’ feedback on iOS and Android versions. The availability of mobile betting on our selected websites influences decisions, of course.

Being responsible

Promoting responsible gambling is something we take very seriously and we’ll mark down bookmakers who don’t give users every opportunity to stay in control of their betting. All regulated gambling sites are required to offer safer betting tools but visibility and usability can vary from site to site. Preference is given to those who prominently promote their safer gambling tools and make them easy to use.

Responsible gambling

You’ve probably heard the slogan ‘When the fun stops. Stop’ plenty of times but it still rings true.

Betting can add further enjoyment to watching sporting events but there are certainly no guarantees you’ll make money out of it, no matter how much you think you know about UFC betting.

When betting, always assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford to lose. If you win, then that’s simply a nice bonus.

Make sure you use the responsible gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits and timeouts. These can help you stay in control of your gambling.

If you have gambling-related concerns, then seek independent help. There are several UK charities and institutions that offer support, advice, and information, with a few listed below:

Best UFC betting sites summary

On this page, we’ve picked some of our favourite UFC betting sites, with all our recommended bookies regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so they are safe to engage with. There are plenty of illegitimate gambling companies out there, so be aware.

While one of our recommended UFC betting sites will be perfect for some people, you should always choose bookmakers who provide a service that caters to your specific needs. Make sure you fully read the terms and conditions when betting.

UFC betting site FAQs

How to bet on UFC

You’ll find UFC betting readily available at most UK bookmakers. It’s, therefore, just a case of choosing your UFC betting site and then finding the market you want to bet on. You can keep it simple and just bet on the fight winner, or you might want to explore alternative options. Be sure to do your research before placing a bet and remember to gamble responsibly.

Can UFC fighters bet on themselves?

It had previously been public knowledge that UFC fighters bet on themselves to win fights. However, UFC have clamped down on fighters and anyone with inside knowledge of a fight wagering on a bout, threatening to terminate a fighter’s contract with the company if they are found to have bet on themselves.

What is round betting in UFC?

Round betting in UFC involves betting on the round a fight will end in. Bettors can wager on a fighter winning in a specific round, or just betting on a fight to finish in a certain round. The latter bet can be useful in bouts where it’s hard to caller a winner and there’s the potential for a fight to finish early.