Insider Sport speaks with OKTAGON Co-founder Pavol Neruda about match-fixing fears, the promotion’s integrity safeguards and how betting fits into MMA’s future.
In the space of just a few weeks, the sports world found itself dealing with a run of integrity scandals nobody saw coming. First came the bombshell in October, when US Attorney Joseph Nocella announced three NBA representatives, including an active player and a coach, were being charged over gambling offences.
Then things started to snowball with the MLB and UFC pulled into their own match-fixing controversies, and Turkish football went even further, suspending more than 1,000 players and halting its second and third divisions for two-three weeks.
Suddenly, every highlight reel, every result and every referee call online faced a question of legitness, especially in MMA.
So Insider Sport sat down with Pavol Neruda, Co-founder of OKTAGON, to ask whether match-fixing is really the ticking time bomb these scandals suggest, and how the sport’s relationship with betting has (or hasn’t) changed because of it.
Match-fixing and betting manipulation have become major talking points in combat sports. How do you view these developments as a promotion leader?
I don’t think this is a big problem in OKTAGON at all. We’re too big for these things, we are co-operating with big betting companies, who have very sophisticated systems to see if there are any attempts for this kind of activity. We are one of the best promotions in the world and our fighters don’t want to risk their careers for this. While we don’t think this is happening, we are still aware of it, and are working with the betting companies to ensure it doesn’t.
Do you believe the growing integration of betting in MMA has made integrity management more complex, or are there still clear boundaries?
Yes I think it definitely makes things more complex, and even now we feel it, as we are trying to develop and expand in betting sponsorship markets around Europe. We have to work hard to prove to these partners that our sport is legitimate and that we have the mechanisms to prevent issues like fraud.
What’s your general philosophy when it comes to balancing commercial partnerships with maintaining sport integrity?
We always respect the sport, and that is our main priority. We are trying to build beautiful shows for our fans around the world.
How does OKTAGON monitor for potential betting irregularities or integrity threats?
First of all, it comes from how we choose our fighters. We are very strict and thorough to not sign any fighters with a suspicious past or a threat with betting. We also cooperate with betting operators so we can be warned if anything suspicious were to happen. We are always in communication with them, and it has never happened in OKTAGON.
Have the recent allegations across different sports prompted any reassessment of how you communicate expectations to athletes?
The fighters know that the consequences are big. Nobody wants to risk this. MMA in my eyes, and the fighters we are working with – for them, it is a big passion. For fighters, it is so hard in MMA to fight for someone like OKTAGON, especially to get to the top 10. To ruin that because of a bet, it is not worth it, and our fighters feel that. MMA is specific in this – there are so few people to fight on this big stage, and I cannot imagine they would screw it up. They would also have to face the law – we believe that our fighters are aware and not even thinking about committing these acts.
How do you ensure fighters understand the real-world risks, not just to themselves but to teammates, coaches and the sport’s reputation, if integrity is compromised?
This is a good question. We can do more to educate fighters – most people act from the moral, but explaining the risks would be helpful.
Do you believe enough is being done industry-wide to educate athletes on gambling and match-fixing risks?
No, I don’t think so. I think in my opinion, it is almost like self-regulation, because the fighters know how hard they’ve worked to get here, so they wouldn’t risk messing it up.
Do you think combat sports face a unique risk profile compared with team sports when it comes to betting manipulation?
I think it could be helpful if the federations could help the promotions to act in a united way, so we can educate fighters more when it comes to the consequences.
Do you think regulators or athletic commissions should take a stronger role in setting consistent betting and integrity policies across MMA promotions?
I still think it’s not a big threat, and you cannot punish millions of fans for this. Fans deserve free and open betting options all around Europe to have fun, to bet on sports, and ultimately to help grow the sport. The money flows from betting companies to MMA promotions, and this is an important thing.
Yes, we need a mechanism and common procedures to prevent the issues, but I don’t think we should punish the fans.
Looking ahead, how do you see integrity standards in MMA evolving over the next few years?
It’s hard to say, as MMA is a new sport and there isn’t much synergy between different countries and federations, but I am expecting that we all want to improve this area, for the growth of the sport, but also because of the fairness of the sport.
All promoters I am sure will hate this idea that people are fixing fights. If this ever happens, they will be excluded from the fight community, and I think this will lead to the standard developing by themselves.
