If you love betting on UFC, these team sports might be for you too.

Sports that MMA fans also venture into betting on. Photo: Created by IA/SUPER LUTAS

If you enjoy UFC, you've probably already felt the unforgettable adrenaline rush of a knockout or an extremely technical submission. After all, MMA is the only sport that involves aggression and intense physical impact. Or is it? Well, finding new sports to watch can be an excellent idea, so why not start with those that most closely resemble what you already enjoy?

There are some of the most intense team sports, sometimes even reminiscent of martial arts, which you'll learn about below. If you also enjoy betting, the good news is that virtually all online operators offer markets in these disciplines. There are even sites that allow very small deposits and bets – useful when you're still getting to know a new sport. Learn more Regarding these platforms, Legalbet, a specialist portal that analyzes betting sites and their features, discusses them. So, what are the sports most closely related to UFC?

Rugby — nearly 80 injuries per 1.000 hours of play.

Rugby is a sport similar to American football, but without the typical protective equipment. Here, although fighting is not allowed, the injury rate is extremely high. It reaches about 55 to 80 injuries per 1.000 hours of play, something 4 to 6 times higher than other sports like soccer and basketball.

This demonstrates how the sport involves a lot of impact and intense physical competition. It's a real fight, but of course, with clear rules, just like the UFC. If you want an example, just search for Rugby plays on the internet and you'll see several very intense plays.

For example, some studies show that in a Rugby match, there are an average of 156 tackles and 116 rucks. While the former is the classic tackle when one player faces another physically, creating scenes very similar to a fight, the ruck is the moment when one of the players falls to the ground with the ball and a physical dispute also begins.

Here, the scene might strongly resemble a UFC fight where the fight goes to the ground. This, as in MMA, involves not only physical strength, but also strategy and intelligence to find the best options. In terms of betting, you'll find markets that are quite common in team sports, such as match winner, handicaps, first to score, and so on.

Ice hockey — are fights allowed under rule 46?

Besides combat sports themselves, ice hockey is the only popular sport that seems to condone fighting. In reality, in addition to the high intensity and natural physical contact of the sport, the old NHL rule 56 already directly permitted aggression during a specific time designated for that purpose.

However, over time, it was replaced by rule 46, which instead of directly allowing the conflict, only indirectly sets the rules for it. But, in this case, after that moment, the players involved are always penalized for at least 5 minutes. But, there are some rules here:

• A fight is recognized when one player hits (or attempts to hit) the other repeatedly, or when the two grapple to the point where the referees are unable to separate them.
• Anyone who initiates or continues attacking a defenseless opponent is considered an aggressor and may be ejected from the match.
• No player can remove their helmet before the fight — this results in an extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• If a third player gets involved in the altercation, they receive an automatic red card.
• Fighting off the ice or after the game has ended also results in heavy penalties and fines.

In this type of game, fighting is part of the culture, although these incidents have decreased significantly in recent years. Currently, it lasts between 30 and 60 seconds, and about 20% or less of matches feature this moment, which is highly anticipated by most fans.

In sports betting, it's not easy to find markets such as whether or not the match will involve a physical altercation. However, there is as much variety as in other sports: total goals, handicaps, shots on goal, both teams to score, player bets, etc.

Physical confrontations are part of the sport: MMA is the pinnacle of it.

Although only MMA events and other combat sports have punches and kicks as the ultimate goal, one cannot deny something important. Physical confrontation is essential in other sports, and whoever has a greater ability to win physical duels usually prevails. Thus, physical disputes frequently occur in American football, basketball, handball, and even soccer, mainly in marking plays or ball disputes.

But going further, in some sports, such as rugby and especially ice hockey, fighting is an even more immediate reality. In any case, in all sports, it's not enough to just use your body: knowing how to use it intelligently and strategically remains the key.

If you want to bet on these sports, it's clear that bookmakers are unlikely to offer markets related to fights—although sometimes they do appear. For those just starting to understand each discipline, the ideal is to opt for simple and straightforward markets, such as match winner, totals, or handicaps.