- UFC president Dana White says he was contacted by the FBI over potential fight-fixing from a card on Saturday.
- Isaac Dulgarian lost in the first round, but the odds shifted towards his opponent hours before the fight.
- It looks like the FBI will become more involved in sports going forward.
UFC president Dana White revealed that he was contacted by a gambling watchdog, then the FBI, regarding potential fight-fixing in the company.
This is another example of the government increasing their visibility in sports and gambling.
White Admits “It Definitely Doesn’t Look Good” for Dulgarian
White disclosed the news on TMZ Sports on Tuesday.
White also said he was first cautioned by Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) that there was some strange movement in the betting lines surrounding Dulgarian’s fight with Yadier Del Valle. On Monday, it was stated that Dulgarian was a -250 favorite in the match, but the odds had swung to -150. Some bookies had even pulled props that they had been getting action on, including a first-round finish. Dulgarian was ultimately taken down and submitted by Del Valle in the first round.
The UFC head said that he called the FBI immediately and that he had met with the FBI twice on Tuesday, including speaking to Director Kash Patel. Dulgarian has been released by the UFC. White claimed:
“I hate to see anybody in our sport do anything illegal. But fight-fixing is absolutely insane. To get to this level and go out and be a part of [fight fixing], and I’m not saying this kid’s guilty. There’s no proof that he’s done this yet, but I can tell you this, it doesn’t look good. It definitely doesn’t look good. We approached him before the fight, he and his lawyer, they denied that anything [was happening].
White also said that it was a mistruth that hundreds of fights were being investigated by IC360 and the FBI for suspicious movement at UFC betting sites.
What Will the FBI Get Involved in Next?
The NBA gambling scandal was just the tip of the iceberg for the FBI getting involved in sports. The door is now open for the FBI to become very involved, especially with the UFC as White is close to President Donald Trump. The UFC is aiming to have a card at the White House next year on Trump’s birthday, and the last thing White wants to deal with is a gambling scandal.
Given how much sports and gambling are intertwined now, don’t be surprised if there is another scandal before the end of the year, in any sport. The FBI has their eye on anything fishy going on now, and that’s not going to change.
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