The UFC has become the latest sports organization to be targeted for suspicious betting activity. The mixed martial arts promotion is working with the FBI after being alerted of unusual wagering on last weekend’s fight card in Las Vegas.
CEO Dana White said UFC officials were notified by Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) about bets on the featherweight fight between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle, according to ESPN. Dulgarian, who entered the match 7-1, had been listed by books as the favorite at -250 over the 9-0 del Valle.
ESPN reported that heavy wagering came in on del Valle, who then suspiciously won via a first-round submission. Almost immediately, bettors cried foul. Numerous UFC betting sites were alerted and Caesars Sportsbook even went so far as to refund wagers that were placed on Dulgarian.
UFC Takes Proactive Approach
White said the UFC confronted Dulgarian about the bout when informed about how much action was coming in on his opponent. Afterward, White said the UFC was proactive in contacting law enforcement.
“[Gambling compliance integrity platform] IC360 reached out and told us there was some unusual action going on with that fight and [asked] did we know anything,” White told TMZ. “We didn’t. We called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money, has anybody approached you?’ The kid said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’”
“The fight plays out, first-round finish – literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. I met the FBI twice [Tuesday].”
Afterward, the fight circuit dropped Dulgarian from the UFC roster. White insisted there were no bigger issues involving fight fixing in the UFC and that the promotion has a longstanding partnership with IC360 to monitor betting.
“We’re watching every single fight that happens in the UFC,” White added. “If you come in here and try to cheat or fix fights, I will be your worst enemy. I will come after you, and if you did it, I will do everything in my power to make sure you go to prison.”
It’s Happened Before
The incident is similar to a fight-fixing scandal the promotion faced in 2022 when a fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke also ended quickly. Sportsbooks also reported suspicious betting behavior before the fight.
Sports leagues have had to deal with numerous betting related issues recently, including the FBI arresting numerous people in October believed to have been part of a bet-fixing scheme involving NBA players. Some jurisdictions are exploring the possibility of banning prop bets on individual players for team sports.
- Photo – Twitter/UFC
