UFC issues statement regarding alleged fixed fight
UFC has released a statement regarding the alleged fixed fight that took place on its Fight Night card last Saturday.
Isaac Dulgarian was originally a sizeable favorite heading into his featherweight fight with Yadier del Valle on Saturday’s Las Vegas card, but the odds shifted dramatically enough in the hours prior to the matchup that the FBI and the promotion’s betting integrity partner both alerted the UFC to betting irregularities as a rash of bets were placed on Dulgarian losing in the first round. The line shifted from Dulgarian being an approximate -250 favorite to a -130 favorite according to ESPN.
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani noted on Monday that UFC approached Dulgarian prior to the fight and confronted him regarding the irregularities, but that Dulgarian denied that he had provided inside information to bettors or that anything untoward was going on.
Dulgarian lost via submission in the first round and was fired by UFC after the loss.
An investigation into whether or not Dulgarian fixed the fight is ongoing, with UFC releasing the following statement:
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” UFC officials said in a statement. “Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors wagering on every UFC event and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout on Saturday, November 1.
We take these allegations very seriously, and along with the health and safety of our fighters, nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport.”
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