UFC Betting Rules: What Counts as a Knockout?

A true "knockout" in traditional combat sports is obvious. Fighter A strikes Fighter B, and Fighter B lays on the mat for 10 seconds until the fight is called.

But in UFC, the lines are a bit blurred. Many fights are stopped by the official, which goes down as a Technical Knockout (TKO), because you can continue the fight on the ground.

So if you bet a fighter to win by KO, what scenarios result in a winning bet? Here are the three:

1. Knockout. The fighter is knocked out cannot continue.
2. Technical Knockout: The fight is stopped because a fighter can't defend him or herself. The doctor, ref or corner can stop the fight.
3. Disqualification.If your fighter's opponent is DQ'd, you'll win your bet.

Bets on fights deemed "no contest" will be void. That could come from an accidental injury or another scenario outside the fighter's control.

So What Counts as a TKO?

There are four ways a TKO can happen:

1. Referee stoppage: The referee stops a fight when a fighter cannot defend themself from repeated strikes.
2. Corner stoppage: A fighter or their corner decide the fighter cannot continue.
3. Doctor’s stoppage: The ringside doctor stops the fight due to bleeding or another injury.
4. Submission from strikes: A fighter can actually tap out while being punched. In UFC, this is considered a TKO, while in other MMA promotions, it's a submission.

How Is Each Result Grouped Together?

Most sportsbooks have a popular market called Fight Outcome or Winning Method that have six choices. KO/TKO and submission will be separated.

Sportsbooks clearly list which result is in which group:

They'll also offer odds on each fighter to finish the other or to win inside the distance, which would include KOs, TKOs and submissions all together.