UFC’s Dana White confirms FBI talks over unusual betting activity on fighter Isaac Dulgarian match
UFC president Dana White confirmed that the organization has been in talks with the FBI over “unusual” betting activity on a fight involving fighter Isaac Dulgarian.
Dulgarian was the heavy favorite heading into UFC Fight Night 263 over the weekend but stunningly lost in the first round by submission. It was the first stoppage loss of his career.
But behind the scenes and prior to the fight, White was contacted by Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) over what he called “unusual” betting action that reportedly saw wagering interest on opponent Yadier del Valle to win in the first round.
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White told TMZ Sports on Tuesday that they contacted Dulgarian and his attorney before the fight to question him over their concerns.
“We called the fighter and his lawyer, and said, ‘What’s going on? There’s some weird action going on in your bet – some weird betting action going on with your fight. Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?’ And the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’ So we said, OK.”
White said as soon as the fight was over, the UFC contacted the FBI.
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“The fight plays out and [it’s a] first-round finish by rear-naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI.
White said he has since spoken to the FBI multiple times. He stopped short of calling Dulgarian “guilty.”
“There is 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.”
Caesars Sportsbook released a statement after the fight announcing that losing bets would be refunded.
The controversy surrounding the UFC comes amid the FBI’s bombshell indictments into illegal sports betting and gambling that involved allegations against Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones.
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