As far as Jeff Molina is concerned, he’s served his time.
On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission slapped Molina with a three-year suspension stemming from his involvement in a 2022 betting scandal in which he wagered on a fight between teammate Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Vegas 64.
It was later discovered that Minner was dealing with an injury that resulted in a dramatic shift in betting lines favoring Nuerdanbieke, who quickly defeated Minner via TKO in the opening round.
The commission later determined that Molina was aware of Minner’s injury, failed to disclose it, and still placed a wager on the contest in question which went down in November 2022.
Molina will be eligible to compete against on November 5, 2025.
Jeff Molina defends himself from calls for a lifetime ban
Following the news, Molina quickly defended himself against those suggesting that he should have been hit with a lifetime ban.
“My words were twisted here. I wagered on the entire card,” Molina wrote on X. “It’s how I made extra money on the side when I wasn’t fighting and all I do is watch fights. I had wagers on both sides of the fight and my “significant” bet was less than $500.
“The only thing I’m guilty of was continuing to wager on fights after the UFC emailed us telling us to stop. Getting a 3 year suspension for continuing to bet two weeks after getting an email that said to stop is insane. McGregor can post his million dollar bet slip every month on a main event as a fighter on the roster.”
“It’s not about making it look better,” Molina wrote in a pair of follow-up posts minutes later. “I’m saying what I did. What I completely disagree with is saying I deserve a “lifetime ban” for my $350 wagers I had on the entire card.
“I made a mistake by continuing to wager no doubt and a 3 yr suspension is beyond suffice but acting like 23 year old me was this fight fixing mastermind making millions of dollars is comical. The fact is a fighter fought injured which happens literally all the time and obviously word got out.”
Molina was on a 10-fight win streak before being suspended, including a trio of wins in his first three appearances with the UFC. ‘El Jefe’ defeated Aoriqileng, Daniel Lacerda, and Zhalgas Zhumagulov between April 2021 and June 2022 before his MMA career was put on hold.
Minner received a 29-month suspension for his role in the scandal and is already eligible to compete. As for their head coach, James Krause, the investigation into his involvement is ongoing.
