UFC Futures Odds For Every Division

Forbes

23 March 2023

The UFC is typically bet pre-fight, such as the moneyline, method of victory and Over/Under the total number of rounds. In-play gambling is also popular among some bettors.

A less common but still interesting way to bet MMA is with UFC futures. It’s like wagering on who will win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the NFL season. You get to dust off your crystal ball and make some long-term predictions. The UFC doesn’t have seasons, so you bet on who will hold the belt in a particular division at the end of the calendar year.

The main drawback to futures is that your money is tied up for months, but you can potentially find some playable wagers before things unfold. It’s a good opportunity to do some research and see if you can find value. You might not find any futures odds worth playing, but the lines can still be worth a look.

As always, sometimes the best bet is not betting at all.

Can You Bet on Future UFC Champions?

Yes, UFC futures are betting on who will be the champion in a certain weight class. UFC futures betting involves wagering on who will be champion in a given division at the end of the calendar year.

Not all sports betting sites offer UFC futures, however. The best sites to wager on UFC futures are DraftKings and BetMGM. Other books, like FanDuel, don’t offer UFC futures.

What do the UFC futures betting odds mean? It simply tells you the price you must pay for a particular outcome. Typically, everyone other than the current champion in a division will have plus-money odds. The current champion might also be plus-money, but often they are minus-money, especially if their scheduling timeline looks favorable.

Factors to Consider for UFC Futures

A complex web of factors can determine who receives a coveted title shot. The UFC isn’t like the NBA, NFL or MLB in that there isn’t a playoff tournament to determine the winner of a season.

When looking at the odds, it can help to consider:

Ranking: The UFC generally stays faithful to its official rankings when awarding title shots, but many exceptions exist. Sometimes people outside the top five get shots. Some fighters hold on to their high ranking beyond their prime, creating logjams for up-and-comers.
Win streak: At some point, a win streak is too long for the UFC to ignore. Sometimes meritocracy must be maintained to not aggravate diehard fans and MMA media. For less popular UFC fighters, it takes a winning streak of 10 fights to secure a title shot.
Age: MMA fighters usually reach their prime after 30, so the UFC typically doesn’t rush 20-somethings to title shots. There are exceptions, like when it’s clear a top talent will be too large for the weight class. Conor McGregor is an example of being fast-tracked to a title shot working out spectacularly; Darren Till is a case of that going terribly wrong.
Weight issues: Missing weight in the past can hurt a fighter’s chances of getting a title shot in the future. If a fighter misses weight for a title fight, they are ineligible to win the belt.
Injury history: Unless it’s a star or long-running former champion, fighters typically don’t get a title shot after a bout of serious injury issues.
Activity: Taking three or more fights in a year usually puts a fighter in good graces with the UFC, while also opening up a path to reach a title fight sooner rather than later.
Charisma: Fighters with large social media followings and skills on the microphone or in interviews are given more opportunities. The UFC is always looking to make new stars.

Below is a look at the current odds for each division courtesy of DraftKings. Odds are subject to change.