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After initial bombshell reports from Harry Mac, an MMA journalist and New York-based promoter, Ariel Helwani of Uncrowned acknowledged Mac’s reporting and added his own insight, knowledge, and details on the UFC’s betting controversy.
In the hours following the much controversial Isaac Dulgarian vs. Yadier Del Valle fight at UFC Vegas 110 on November 1, Mac posted to social media with claims that the UFC was made aware by the FBI of the significant line movement that prompted several sportsbooks to close bets on the fight in the hours leading up to it. He claimed, however, that the UFC was willing to allow the fight to go on.
On the November 3 edition of The Ariel Helwani Show, Helwani seemed to confirm his understanding is the same, alleging the UFC felt that, despite the line movement, the fight presented no danger of being fixed. In fact, in conversations with those close to Dulgarian, Helwani says they were just as shocked by the poor performance of Dulgarian in the fight.
“UFC was made aware of this, and my understanding is there were conversations with Dulgarian and his team about this activity, and questioning him, ‘What is going on?’” Helwani said. “And, multiple times, he said that, according to my sources, that he was good to go. That there was nothing of this sort happening, and there was nothing to worry about, essentially.”
Ariel Helwani Discusses Massive Issue UFC Is Facing Following UFC Vegas 110 Gambling Controversy
Helwani added that he doesn’t believe the UFC had any involvement in the foul play of the odds; however, he feels their decision to not pull the fight after being notified of the line movement has led them to more controversy than they could have faced originally.
Mac followed up his first claim by adding a bigger allegation — stating that over 100 fights in the UFC have been flagged for suspicious line movement.
While Helwani did not confirm a number of fights, he did claim that this fight is “not an isolated incident” and alleges that more fighters have been offered to throw fights previously.
“My understanding is this is on the FBI’s radar,” Helwani said. “How deep of an investigation is unclear at this time; this is all very new. But, yes, this is accurate.
“My understanding is that this is not an isolated incident. And what I mean by that is I have talked to multiple people who have either experienced, or know of others who have experienced, situations where they have been approached about their willingness to do something like this…’Are you interested in throwing a fight for X amount of dollars?’
Helwani followed up by comparing this incident to the Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke fight from almost exactly three years ago — a fight that resulted in James Krause being exiled from the MMA community. Coincidentally, Dulgarian is a former trainee of Krause’s.
Helwani claimed that this situation could get massive and sport a black eye not just in the UFC, but in the whole sport of MMA — exasperated by not only the simultaneous gambling scandal going on in the NBA, but also by a seemingly increased number of controversial referee and judging actions and decisions over this past year.
“This is a massive issue for the UFC, and when you consider — now I haven’t been told this part I’m about to say — but when you consider the questionable refereeing as of late, you can’t help but let your mind go there as well,” Helwani said. “Because there is no other possible explanation for some of the wacky stuff we’ve seen as of late. And it’s easy to do.”
On a related note, another one of Mac’s allegations is that an audit is being placed on fights refereed by Jason Herzog, sparking a bit of a back-and-forth beef on X (formerly Twitter) between the two.
In the last couple of hours prior to press time, Mac is alleging new information that will worsen this story — potentially involving a notable MMA manager.
While Helwani could not verify any more of Mac’s information, he gave his own opinion on the reason behind all this. Helwani theorizes fighters lower on the card and not making a lot of money are being offered “quick fixes” to get them needed cash.
“I believe what is happening here is people are preying on lower-level fighters, who don’t make a lot of money, who are in tough spots, who are fighting in the major leagues, and they’re offering them a quick fix…” Helwani said. “How prevalent is this? I can’t tell you. But I’ve now heard it in multiple occasions in my conversations over the past 24+ hours.”
Dulgarian was easily submitted by Del Valle — a fight that saw Dulgarian move from a -250 favorite to a -166 in only a few hours’ time, as well as large bets coming in on a prop bet of Del Valle via first-round finish. Some sportsbooks have since offered refunds to bettors due to the controversial nature of the fight.
Dulgarian’s UFC tenure ended on November 2, released by the promotion just one day after the controversial fight. He went 3-2 in the Octagon.
The UFC recently released a statement, claiming it is taking the allegations surrounding this fight very seriously.
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