With the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) potentially facing its second betting scandal in the last three years, CEO Dana White told TMZ on Tuesday that the company is in close contact with the FBI following featherweight favorite Isaac Dulgarian’s loss on Saturday at UFC Vegas 110.
Confirming reports from Uncrowned and Yahoo Sports, White said that IC360, the UFC’s betting integrity partner, warned hours before Dulgarian’s featherweight fight against Yadier del Valle that the underdog was attracting a lot of bets to win, as well as bets on first-round outcomes.
“We called the fighter and his lawyer and asked, ‘What’s going on? There’s strange betting activity going on in your fight. Are you injured? Do you owe anyone money? Has anyone approached you?'” White said. “And the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m going to take this guy out.’ So we said OK. The fight took place and ended with a rear naked choke submission in the first round. Literally the first thing we did was call the FBI.”
Dulgarian, who was fired on Sunday night, was widely favored but appeared indifferent throughout the fight before losing via submission. Caesars Sportsbook was among several online bookmakers to announce Saturday night that it would refund bets placed on Dulgarian to win.
So far, there is no proof that Dulgarian gave away the fight, but White — who met twice with the FBI on Tuesday — said, “It doesn’t look good, it definitely doesn’t look good.”
In an official response on Monday, the UFC said IC360 “is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle fight” and is taking the allegations seriously. According to Uncrowned, the Nevada Athletic Commission is planning to withhold Dulgarian’s fight purse following the alleged incident.
In 2022, a controversial first round loss of featherweight Darrick Minner to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke led to Minner’s dismissal and suspensions for both Minner and his trainer James Krause. Seven years before this incident, Tae Hyun Bang, a South Korean lightweight, received a ten-month prison sentence for his involvement in a plan to manipulate the outcome of a fight against Leo Kuntz at a UFC event in South Korea.
