UFC fight under investigation for betting incident
The UFC and a U.S.-based betting integrity firm are investigating “suspicious betting activity” surrounding Shayilan Nuerdanbieke’s first-round victory over Darrick Minner at UFC Vegas 64.
According to MMA Junkie, the win wasn’t the only surprise but “it was the betting lines, which drastically changed just hours before the featherweight bout took place, that raised eyebrows. As rumors emerged that Minner was injured, Nuerdanbieke went from a -220 to -420 favorite. A lot of money came in on Nuerdanbieke winning by first-round TKO, which had sportsbooks suspicious of the unusual line change for such a low-level fight.”
Just recently the UFC announced it was banning fighters from betting on fights, even ones they were not involved in.
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” the UFC’s statement to ESPN said. “Our betting integrity partner, Don Best Sports, a leading global supplier of real-time betting data for North American sporting events, will conduct a thorough review of the facts and report its findings. At this time, we have no reason to believe either of the athletes involved in the bout, or anyone associated with their teams, behaved in an unethical or irresponsible manner.”
Nuerdanbieke defeated Minner after it was clear he had a leg or knee injury, of which many think he may have had going into the bout.
Jorge Masvidal predicts that Dustin Poirier will ‘smoke’ Michael Chandler at UFC 281