UFC President Dana White has stated he has “zero” concern for the organization’s integrity following reports of doubts over the Darrick Minner-Shayilan Nuerdanbiek fight. Stating that he has “no updates” on the investigation that was opened last month, White spoke at a press conference after the weekend’s UFC 282.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told a reporter, “I’m not worried about it at all. People ask me, ‘What is the UFC going to do?’ We’re letting these guys know not to bet on fights. Do you know what the outcome of that is? If I penalize them, they’ll be cut. But they’ll go to federal prison.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If you’re that stupid, and someone wants to do it, have fun. There’s not enough money to ruin your life and not go to jail. Go to federal prison.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, concerns were raised about the feud between Minner and Nuerdanbiek, with the UFC confirming that Don Best Sports, its integrity partner, was looking into the matter. Suspicious patterns of betting on the fight were identified, causing US-based sportsbooks to raise concerns about the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, investigations were opened into the fight, which Nuerdanbiek won via TKO in one minute. It was reported that there was a knee injury suffered by Minner hours before the fight. This supposedly led to significant betting activity in favor of Nuerdanbiek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked for an update on the investigation’s progress, White noted, “How would I know? Do you think the people who are investigating call me and keep me posted on this?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Why would they tell me? There is an ongoing investigation into a fight that was (allegedly) rigged. I know as much as you know,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) ordered all operators in the province to stop accepting and offering bets on UFC pending the investigation. AGCO has told operators to immediately cease their UFC offerings, noting that the situation has ‘blurry’ issues to clear up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The standards exist to protect the betting public and to provide necessary security against match-fixing, match-correction and other integrity issues,” Tom Mungham, CEO of AGCO, told operators in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, knowing the popularity of UFC events with Ontario sportsbooks. However, the risks of indoor betting on events and the integrity of betting must be of high concern to all.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n