A betting scandal has rocked the world of mixed martial arts. Amid the ongoing pandemic of fighters throwing fights for financial gain, Dana White has sought out the FBI to help stop it before it spirals out of control.
Sports betting has become a staple for fans of combat sports. The thrill of placing money on athletes as you watch their bouts unfold has been prevalent in fighting for years before its legalization.
While it remains a beloved part of sports, the betting world as we know it could be in for a drastic change. Seeking help from the FBI, Dana White is doing what he can to crack down on the match-fixing crisis that is plaguing the UFC.
Reports suggest an undisclosed number of UFC fights have been flagged by the FBI for unusual behavior, and more are likely set to follow. White broke his silence on the situation during a recent interview.
“We’re with a company called IC360, and they are the best bet monitoring company in the business,” White said. “They reached out to us, and they told us that there was some unusual action going on [ahead of the Isaac Dulgarian vs. Yadier del Valle fight].”
“[They asked], ‘Do you know anything?’ You know, we didn’t. So, what we did was, 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 to, you know?’ And the kid said no, absolutely not.”
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White later revealed that he’s had several meetings with the FBI.
“The fight plays out and [it was a] first-round finish by rear-naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. So, we called the FBI. I’ve met with the FBI twice today.”
Isaac Dulgarian entered his fight against Yadier del Valle as a favorite, but ended up suffering the first submission defeat of his career in the first round.
A spike in bets on the fight alerted IC360, the UFC partner, which has led to the FBI’s involvement.
“If you try to do this, I’ve been very vocal and very open about this,” White continued. “We will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you, guns ablazing, with the FBI and whoever else we need to get.”
“We will do everything we can to make you go to prison.”
