Recently, the CEO of the UFC, Dana White, has been making statements regarding the ongoing investigation into the potential match-fixing scandal after a match this Saturday had some suspicious betting activity.
This last Saturday, Issac Dulgarian was set to face off against Yadier del Valle in the ring. However, in a massive upset, Issac lost to Yadier in round one to a hold. The circumstances around the loss were found to be highly suspicious. It seemed as if Issac did not try his best to avoid or break out of the hold, and there was a large shift in the betting before the match started.
Dana White provided the following statement regarding the situation: “We called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? There’s some weird betting action going on in your fight. Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?'” He continues, “And the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’ So we said OK. The fight plays out — and first-round finish by rear-naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI.”
White has made it clear that fighters should report anyone who approaches them with offers of fixing matches, and if they do, they should expect to be approached by the FBI next.
The UFC is no stranger to betting scandals, with several happening in the past few years. However, White seems to be taking a strong stance against the practice, vowing to do their best to get the ones responsible in prison. With how popular sports betting has become, it is good to hear that the ones in charge are working hard to keep the integrity of the stakes intact.
