Two UFC fighters have been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) for their involvement in a 2022 betting scandal tied to their coach, James Krause.
Following a recent hearing, fighters Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina received retroactive suspensions for failing to report inside information allegedly used to place bets.
Molina was handed a 36-month suspension, retroactive to 5 November 2022, meaning he will be eligible to return to competition from that date this year. Minner received a 29-month retroactive suspension, making him eligible to fight again from 26 March.
The controversy stems from Minner’s quick loss of just 67 seconds by TKO to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at a UFC Fight Night event in 2022. Leading up to the fight, betting lines shifted, with Minner suddenly becoming a significant underdog.
It was later revealed that Minner had entered the fight carrying a knee injury, which both his coach and teammate knew about.
Molina was found to have placed wagers on the fight while in possession of this insider information and failed to report it, which contributed to the severity of his suspension.
At the hearing, Matthew Feeley, Deputy Attorney General for the state of Nevada, said: “After Molina having direct knowledge of a serious injury sustained by a fellow fighter Darrick Minner, Molina failed to inform the commission of Minner’s serious injury, in violation of NAC 467.885, and instead of informing the commission additionally placed significant bets with a gaming entity on the outcome of Minner’s fight.”
According to the NAC, Minner and his coach were initially suspended after the fight for failing to disclose the knee injury prior to the bout. On his pre-fight medical card the fighter indicated that he was without any injuries.
Following the investigation, Minner was released from the UFC, and Molina was removed from the promotion’s roster in January 2023.
The UFC has not let this isolated problem affect its relationship with the gambling sector, however. Since the beginning of this year, the MMA league has partnered with two betting brands, SPRIBE and Parimatch.
On a recent episode of SBC’s iGaming Daily podcast, Martyn Elliot was joined by SBC News‘ Editor, Ted Orme-Claye and SBC Americas‘ Tom Nightingale to discuss a betting scandal in a low-level darts competition.
