The UFC has tightened its sports betting rules and hired an integrity firm following reports of suspicious betting patterns.
Sportsbooks in New Jersey and New York reported unusual interest in a fight between Derrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in November.
A flurry of bets went on Minner to lose in the first round, while there were also lots of bets on under 2.5 rounds in the bout.
Minner lost by TKO in the first round after appearing to suffer a leg injury, which deepened suspicion.
Law enforcement authorities in New Jersey responded by banning wagering on any events featuring fighters trained by James Krause, Minner’s coach.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended both Krause and Minner for not disclosing a pre-existing leg injury in prefight medicals.
Ontario went further by enforcing a blanket ban on all UFC events, and Alberta quickly followed suit.
They have now reinstated betting on UFC events after the promotion overhauled the language in its code of conduct for fighters.
Hunter Campbell, the UFC chief business officer, wrote to all fighters to stress that the promotion “expressly prohibits” them from betting on their fights.
It has also hired a firm called U.S. Integrity to work on “identifying and analyzing unusual wagering activity as indicative of possible integrity concern” in the future. The firm will report any suspicious betting patterns, helping the UFC strengthen its internal processes and appease regulators.
