The UFC has discovered itself on the middle of a playing controversy that has been in comparison with probably the most severe playing scandal in combined martial arts historical past. On November 1, 2025, at UFC Vegas 110, featherweight Isaac Dalgarian misplaced a first-round submission to Yadier Del Valle, however the bout featured a suspicious betting sample that prompted sportsbooks to take quick motion.
UFC playing scandal defined
The sequence of occasions surrounding the Dalgarian vs. Del Valle combat reveals the complete extent of the potential manipulation. Dalgaryan entered the bout as a heavy favourite at -250 odds in opposition to undefeated Cuban fighter Del Valle. Nonetheless, within the hours main as much as the competition, the betting market skilled dramatic modifications. Dalgarian’s odds dropped from -250 to about -154, however an uncommon quantity of strain pushed Del Valle to victory, particularly by way of his first-round end. Sportsbooks reported receiving giant quantities of bets on Del Valle from new accounts, dormant Sharp accounts, and in a sample that set off inner alarm methods. Thousands and thousands of {dollars} complete had been instantly on the road for a first-round submission win.
Isaac Dalgarian
Ben Fox has 10 years of expertise in sports activities betting evaluation, together with earlier roles at ESPN and The Athletic. The UFC playing scandal confirmed traditional indicators of playing corruption. It is a huge, one-sided stream of bets on the underdog that wins in a sure method (first spherical submission). A few of the accounts that had been putting giant bets had been both new or beforehand dormant, which set off alarm bells. Sportsbooks responded by shutting down betting strains for the match and issuing refunds for shedding bets, acknowledging that their integrity had been compromised.
On the day of the combat, Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), the official betting integrity monitoring companion of the UFC since January 2023, issued a warning to prospects about uncommon betting exercise in the course of the combat. Some sportsbooks instantly stopped betting on the match, whereas others stored their strains open and watched the percentages preserve altering as cash continued to circulate to Del Valle. In accordance with MMA journalist Harry Mack, the FBI notified the UFC of the bizarre conduct and line actions, giving them promotional time to take away the combat from the cardboard. The UFC selected to permit the combat to proceed.
As soon as the combat passed off, Del Valle delivered with a rear bare choke at 3:41 of the primary spherical, simply as his questionable betting sample predicted. It was Dalgarian’s efficiency that made me notably query the end. UFC analyst Michael Chiesa gave the combat a scathing evaluate on ESPN’s post-fight broadcast, calling it an “F-minus efficiency” and “utter trash.” Chiesa famous that Dalgarian didn’t execute a fundamental defensive grapple, an surprising mistake from a UFC-level fighter with established wrestling credentials.
Caesars Sportsbook, William Hill and DraftKings all introduced they might refund bets on Dalgarian, an uncommon transfer that raises severe integrity issues. The Nevada State Athletic Fee has withheld Dalgarian’s full match funds pending an investigation and has not offered a timeline for when he can be launched. By Sunday, November 2nd, the UFC had terminated Dalgarian’s contract.
UFC launched an announcement concerning the controversy, saying: “Like {many professional} sports activities organizations, UFC works with an impartial betting integrity service to observe betting exercise at our occasions. Our betting integrity companion, IC360, displays betting exercise in any respect UFC occasions. We’re monitoring the betting in america and are conducting an intensive investigation into the info surrounding the Dalgarian vs. Del Valle match on Saturday, November 1st. ”
james kraus
Dalgarian’s case is similar to the 2022 UFC playing scandal involving coach James Krause and fighter Darick Miner. In November 2022, there was uncommon playing exercise earlier than Miner misplaced by first-round TKO to Shaylan Nuerdambique at UFC Vegas 64. Miner didn’t disclose the intense knee harm in his pre-fight medical paperwork, however it seems that somebody with information of the harm shared that data with bettors who had been putting giant bets on his first-round end.
The Nevada State Athletic Fee suspended each Mina and Krause, and the UFC banned fighters from coaching with Krause. Dalgarian beforehand skilled with Krause at Glory MMA & Health earlier than relocating to Manufacturing unit X in Colorado.
In March 2025, the Nevada State Athletic Fee finalized suspensions for Mina (29 months) and teammate Jeff Molina (36 months) for his or her roles within the Krause playing scandal. Krause himself has not been charged criminally regardless of an ongoing federal investigation, however he stays suspended by the state of Nevada and is blacklisted from teaching UFC fighters.
ESPN studies that Krauss runs a betting advisory service known as “The 1% Membership” with about 2,000 subscribers, a few of whom pay as much as $2,000 a month, and has overtly stated he bets on UFC fights, together with fights involving fighters he has skilled.
F.B.I.
Harry Mack, a combined martial arts journalist who beforehand broke information for ESPN, raised explosive allegations on social media after UFC Vegas 110. Mack claimed that federal regulators have flagged greater than 100 UFC fights in 2025 for uncommon betting patterns, together with two extra fights on the identical card at UFC Vegas 110. He additionally claimed that federal authorities are shifting to audit video games refereed by Jason Herzog, though these claims stay unconfirmed by official sources.
sports activities betting scandal
The timing of the UFC betting issues is particularly vital given the parallel scandals which have rocked the NBA. On October 23, 2025, the FBI introduced the arrest of 34 individuals, together with Portland Path Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Warmth guard Terry Rozier, following an investigation right into a playing scheme associated to organized crime. Federal prosecutors alleged that Rozier offered confidential details about accidents and recreation plans to officers who positioned giant bets on NBA video games.
Throughout one recreation in March 2023, Rozier knowledgeable officers he was scheduled to depart early because of a foot harm, and members of the group allegedly guess greater than $200,000 on his “beneath” efficiency statistic earlier than exiting after simply 9 minutes. Billups confronted different fees associated to an unlawful poker operation supported by the La Cosa Nostra Mafia household that used illicit gear akin to X-ray card readers and marked decks.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who is alleged to be an enormous combined martial arts fan, characterised the NBA’s plan as “mind-boggling” and “a narrative of NBA insider buying and selling.” MMA journalist Ariel Helwani famous that Patel’s curiosity in martial arts may result in additional scrutiny of the UFC’s playing fraud.
fighters who’re paid to combat
On the Nov. 4 present, Helwani mentioned studies that a number of lower-level UFC fighters have been approached with provides to deliberately lose fights for cash. Helwani in contrast the state of affairs to an incident in 2019 when boxing promoter Eddie Hearn canceled the Aqib Fiaz-Kane Baker combat hours earlier than the combat because of allegations of playing fraud. Mr Helwani stated:
“This can be a massive downside for the UFC, and you’ll’t assist however deal with it given the latest officiating points, as a result of there isn’t any different rationalization for among the bizarre stuff we have seen recently. I believe persons are preying on lower-level fighters who do not make as a lot cash and are in robust conditions, they usually’re providing them a fast repair.”
MMA’s structural weaknesses make the game notably vulnerable to manipulation. In contrast to workforce sports activities, particular person fighters have full management over the result. The incomes of many UFC fighters, particularly undercard fighters, pale compared to that of mainstream athletes. For instance, Dargarian had lately given start to a toddler and was reportedly residing in a cell dwelling regardless of competing within the UFC. This monetary strain creates eventualities the place fighters are lured with combat provides or share inside details about accidents or preparation points.
IC360
The UFC partnered with US Integrity (now working as IC360) in January 2023 to observe betting exercise throughout all UFC occasions. The partnership comes after the Alcohol and Gaming Fee of Ontario suspended UFC betting in December 2022 within the wake of the Krause scandal, forcing the promotion to tighten its integrity insurance policies. The UFC has strengthened its athlete conduct coverage, explicitly prohibiting athletes, coaches, managers, handlers, and different insiders from putting bets on UFC fights. Violations might lead to disciplinary motion in opposition to the combatant and everlasting expulsion of the affiliated personnel.
IC360 makes use of proprietary know-how to observe dozens of information units to determine irregular betting patterns throughout regulated sportsbooks. When an anomaly is detected, the corporate alerts its shoppers, together with the UFC, state sports activities commissions, and the sportsbooks themselves. The system flagged the Dalgarian vs. Del Valle combat, however the UFC went forward with the combat though there have been hours earlier than it was canceled.
Playing Market and UFC
The promotion has been aggressively incorporating sports activities betting since legalization accelerated throughout the U.S. following a 2018 Supreme Courtroom ruling that struck down a federal ban. UFC broadcasts now prominently show betting odds throughout fighter introductions, and commentators recurrently talk about prop bets throughout occasions. The group maintains partnerships with a number of betting operators, together with a historic 2021 unique settlement with DraftKings within the US and Canada, which was subsequently complemented by regional agreements with operators akin to NetBet in Europe.
This financial entanglement with the playing business creates inherent tensions. Betting partnerships generate vital income for the UFC, however the stakes additionally enhance when integrity points come up. The choice to permit the Dalgarian vs. Del Valle combat to proceed regardless of the FBI’s warnings raised questions on whether or not industrial issues influenced the promotion’s resolution. When bettors lose confidence within the validity of the outcomes, your entire ecosystem collapses.
If Harry Mack’s unverified claims about greater than 100 flagged fights become correct, the scope of the issue goes far past a single incident. A sport that has struggled for many years to realize mainstream legitimacy and acceptance may face an existential disaster that undermines fan belief and regulatory assist. The continuing federal investigation, coupled with the parallel NBA scandal, means that legislation enforcement is taking sports activities betting corruption throughout a number of leagues severely.
For a fighter like Dalgarian, his UFC profession ended abruptly after combating simply 4 fights in the course of the promotion and ending with a 2-2 report. He left the group with no combating capital, dealing with a possible prison investigation, and his status in tatters. Whether or not he participated within the operation or was merely a sufferer of circumstances stays unclear, however his affiliation with the scandal will hang-out him whatever the end result of the investigation.
