Faith Mortensen | July 5, 2022 | Updated on: January 11th, 2024
Fantasy UFC leagues have become incredibly popular in the United States since the Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA) promotion’s rise in prominence. Fights in the UFC are already pretty electrifying as some of the world’s greatest fighters take to the octagon to battle it out and be named best in the world. It is unsurprising then that the MMA promotion has garnered an ardent following filled with fans who know everything there is to know about top fighters. Naturally, a fantasy game surrounding the excitement was created to take advantage of this new knowledge area.
If you would like to learn more about MMA fantasy betting, then you really have come to the right place. Below we have a good look at how these leagues work and the factors to consider when building your UFC fantasy lineup. We also provide a list of online gambling sites with top leagues. So, read on and learn all you need to about this exciting form of fantasy sports betting.
Best Fantasy UFC Betting Sites 2024
Looking to test out your MMA fantasy picks for the latest upcoming UFC events? Be sure to have a look at the sportsbooks listed below. Sign up today and get ahead in your league!
What You’ll Find In Our Fantasy UFC Guide
How to Play Fantasy MMA Games
Although players will find that most UFC fantasy leagues deviate when it comes to scoring systems, they all tend to focus on the same areas of the sport. One sports betting site may just, for example, award more points for a takedown than another.
In general, when you join a fantasy league, you will be given a salary with which to buy players – in this case, UFC fighters. It is always important to remember that you can spend less money than you have available but you can never go over the provided salary cap. Depending on the league, you will be required to buy a set number of fighters to fill up your squad. (For example, at DraftKings, the number is usually set at five.)
These fighters will earn and lose points for performing specific actions in real-life matches. Below we have listed the actions that most fantasy leagues focus on:
- Significant Strikes
- Takedowns
- Advances
- Knockdowns
- Reversals
- Win
- Round Win
- Decision Win
Players need to focus on picking fighters who will be able to rack up the most possible points. Often, this does not only mean picking fighters that will win their bouts but also choosing those who are able to garner extra points through performing particular combat maneuvers throughout the match-up.
The player who is able to collect the most points with their team over the course of an event will win the prize associated with the league that they are playing in.
Fantasy UFC Draft Strategy
So, how do you put together the perfect MMA fantasy sports betting team? Well, we always suggest starting with the weight classes. This will help you to keep your bets separate, and keep in line with real matches. To make things easier, we’ve listed all of the classes in the UFC.
Men’s Rankings (in pounds)
- Flyweight – 112 lb
- Bantamweight – 118 lb
- Featherweight – 126 lb
- Lightweight – 135 lb
- Welterweight – 147 lb
- Middleweight – 160 lb
- Light Heavyweight – 175 lb
- Heavyweight – unlimited
Women’s Rankings
- Women’s Strawweight – 105 lb
- Flyweight – 112 lb
- Bantamweight – 118 lb
- Featherweight – 126 lb
Check out our other popular fantasy sports guides:
UFC Fantasy Draft Tips
Many US bettors are on the lookout for some solid UFC fantasy advice to get the edge over their opponents in online matchups. While we can’t guarantee that the advice we provide will get you wins, it will definitely make you think more strategically during an MMA fantasy draft. So, have a look, and start building better UFC fantasy teams now.
- Study Matchups Before Making Daily Fantasy MMA Picks – make sure to study all the matchups before making your picks. You may be lucky enough to find a cheap underdog you have a pretty good feeling is going to win. By diversifying, you get to keep a mixture of strong expensive and inexpensive fighters in your team.
- Study Fighters Past Performances – it is important to have a look at which fighters are good at scoring points. For example, Conor McGregor may have a good overall record, but his fighting style may not generate all that many points. In such cases, even though he probably will win an upcoming match-up, he may not be the best option for a UFC fantasy pick em game.
- Don’t Feel Forced To Reach Your Salary Cap – in many fantasy sports, not using your entire salary cap is basically a way to guarantee that you don’t win. However, this is really not the case for fantasy MMA picks. Ultimately, all you want to do is build a roster filled with fighters that score points. If you have some salary cap left over after you have built your desired squad, don’t feel the need to spend it on fighters that may even lose you points.