Shady moves
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is facing its second significant betting scandal in three years after unusual wagering patterns were flagged ahead of a featherweight bout at UFC Vegas 110 on Saturday.
in “close contact with the FBI”
President and CEO of the UFC Dana White told TMZ on Tuesday that the global sports brand is in “close contact with the FBI” following Yadier del Valle’s first-round defeat of heavy favorite Isaac Dulgarian which was shared on X:
White confirmed that the UFC’s betting integrity partner, IC360, alerted the organization just hours before the fight that the unfancied Cuban del Valle was attracting significant betting action to win the bout, with a massive spike on prop bets for del Valle to win the fight in round one.
Suspicions roused, confirmed
According to The Guardian, White said his team contacted Dulgarian and his lawyer before the fight about the “weird betting action” asking: “Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?’”
The fighter, White said, denied the allegations. According to White, Dulgarian not only denied any suspicious goings-on but said he would “kill this guy,” del Valle.
Dulgarian, however, was the one to cry uncle courtesy of a controversial first-round submission by the del Valle’s rear-naked choke. Dulgarian “appeared indifferent” in the ring before his submission loss.
definitely doesn’t look good”
White added that after the submission: “Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI.” The UFC CEO met with the FBI twice on Tuesday and said that while there’s no proof the match was thrown: “It doesn’t look good, it definitely doesn’t look good.”
Image protection
White disliked the look so much that the UFC released Dulgarian from the promotion on Sunday.
In an official statement, the UFC said it was taking the allegations seriously and that IC360 was “conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout.”
The Nevada Athletic Commission is reportedly planning withholding Dulgarian’s fight purse pending the probe’s outcome, while multiple sportsbooks have also taken action. According to reports, Caesars Sportsbook was among other online operators that announced late Saturday it would refund bets on Dulgarian to win, giving those who backed the favorite to win their money back.
