The UFC canceled a flagged fight at UFC 324, demonstrating a more proactive approach to suspicious betting than in the past.
The UFC removed a fight from its card on January 24 after betting irregularities triggered integrity concerns mere months after a similar situation occurred.
Combat sports fans from around the world tuned into UFC 324, where Justin Gaethje went on to defeat Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision. However, moments before the card began, the organisation announced the lightweight bout between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson would no longer take place.
While no explanation was initially given, UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed the decision was made after the promotion received an alert from its independent betting integrity monitoring partner IC360.
“It happened again,” White said during his post-fight press conference. “We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this s— again.’ So we pulled the fight.”
White declined to disclose the specific betting patterns which raised concern or which sportsbooks were involved, but stressed the decision was taken before either fighter entered the cage, a different approach from previous incidents.
Insider Sport has contacted IC360 to learn more about the alert.
A change in process?
This latest cancellation follows a similar betting-related alert in November 2025, though the UFC’s response this time was different.
In the case last year, sportsbooks suspended betting roughly an hour before the featherweight bout between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle after sudden line movement and unusual prop betting activity emerged. Despite the concerns, the contest went ahead as scheduled.
Dulgarian, who entered as a betting favourite, lost in the first round under circumstances which prompted immediate speculation among fans and analysts.
Dulgarian was later released by the UFC, though the promotion stated the decision was based on performance rather than allegations of wrongdoing. The organisation also confirmed it was cooperating with the FBI in connection with the matter.
White said in November 2025 that suspicious betting alone did not indicate corruption, explaining the UFC had contacted Dulgarian and his representatives to rule out injuries or outside approaches before allowing the bout to proceed.
“We didn’t [know anything], so what we did was we called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? There’s some weird betting action going on in your fight. Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?’ and the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m gonna kill this guy,’” White said at the time.
He also shut down claims about betting integrity concerns being widespread within the promotion.
“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.”
Saturday’s cancellation, however, suggests the organisation has restrategised how it is reacting to suspicious betting patterns. Rather than allowing a flagged bout to go ahead while authorities assess the situation, the UFC opted to remove the contest entirely.
