The UFC and FBI are actively working together on an investigation into unusual betting activity ahead of a fight last weekend in Las Vegas.
According to UFC CEO Dana White, the UFC was alerted by sports betting watchdog Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) to abnormal betting interest in a featherweight bout between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle at UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Dulgarian, who was around a -250 betting favorite, lost by first-round submission.
Multiple sportsbooks told ESPN that large bets came in on del Valle ahead of the fight. Caesars Sportsbook later posted it would refund bets on Dulgarian. The UFC released Dulgarian from the promotion shortly after the result and are now working alongside the FBI on a further investigation.
“[IC360] reached out and told us there was some unusual action going on with that fight and [asked] did we know anything,” White told TMZ. “We didn’t. We called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money, has anybody approached you?’ The kid said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’
“The fight plays out, first-round finish — literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. I met the FBI twice [Tuesday].”
While acknowledging the serious nature of fight-fixing, White adamantly denied Saturday’s incident is indicative of a bigger issue in MMA. White said the UFC has a longstanding partnership with IC360 and is constantly monitoring any suspicious betting activity.
“People are out there talking, ‘There are 100 fights [flagged as suspicious],’ and that’s usual clickbait bulls—,” White said. “We’re watching every single fight that happens in the UFC,”
This is the second public federal investigation into suspicious betting activity around the UFC. A former UFC fighter and well-known coach, James Krause, was suspended from cornering in 2023 after a bout involving one of his students, Darrick Minner, drew unusual betting interest. Minner lost in the first round, and it was later revealed he went into the bout with a pre-existing injury. White said that the investigation is still ongoing.
