The Latest UFC Betting Scandal Explained

Dana White, the president and CEO of the UFC, recently spoke about the recent UFC betting scandal that has rocked his mixed-martial arts promotion. Dana told TMZ Sports that he immediately called the FBI after the Dulgarian vs del Valle fight had ended.

According to White, the UFC was alerted by IC360 — the promotion’s sports betting watchdog integrity partner — on Saturday, November 1st, about unusual betting activity on that night’s upcoming fight in Las Vegas between featherweights Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle.

After IC360 notified UFC, White said he called Dulgarian before the fight and asked, “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 going to kill this guy.’”

🚨Dana White spoke on the Isaac Dulgarian UFC betting scandal:

"Literally the first thing we did was call the FBI. I've met with the FBI twice today.

If you try to do this, we will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you with the FBI." pic.twitter.com/tstbtpFIVk
— Delinquent MMA (@DelinquentMMA) November 5, 2025

What Happened In Isaac Dulgarian vs Yadier del Valle?

Dulgarian entered the fight with a 7-1 record and a reputation as a strong grappler in featherweight division. He stood as a large favorite with -250 betting odds, but the line moved to -150 at most sportsbooks in the hour leading up to the match. Suddenly, an unusual amount of bets began pouring in for the underdog del Valle.

Dulgarian shot for a double-leg takedown within the first 30 seconds. Del Valle sprawled to stuff the takedown, Dulgarian seemed to foolishly give up his back, allowing del Valle to spend the next two minutes in dominant body triangle position. Shortly after, del Valle found the neck and submitted Dulgarian via rear-naked choke in the opening round.

Yadier del Valle defeats Isaac Dulgarian, Submission, Rear-Naked Choke, 3:41 minutes into Round 1 of 3

“Dulgarian is punching, he’s got his neck, that’s a mistake,” UFC commentator and Hall of Fame fighter Daniel Cormier said on the broadcast, later calling Dulgarian’s defense “white belt stuff.”

As of yet, there is no proof that Dulgarian threw the fight. Regardless, Dana White, who met twice with the FBI on Tuesday, said, “It doesn’t look good, it definitely doesn’t look good.“

In an official response on Monday, the UFC said IC360 “is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout” and is taking the allegations seriously. The Nevada Athletic Commission is planning to withhold Dulgarian’s purse for the fight in the wake of the alleged incident.

The UFC released Isaac Dulgarian amid concerns about fight-fixing.

Prior UFC Betting Scandal

Concerns around fight fixing have grown in recent years. Now more than ever, gambling scandals are under the microscope after NBA players and coaches were arrested in a wide-ranging FBI probe into bettors using non-public information to place bets.

In 2022, a controversial first-round loss by featherweight Darrick Minner to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. Led to Minner’s release and suspensions for Minner and his coach, James Krause.

Seven years before that incident, Tae Hyun Bang, a South Korean lightweight, received a 10-month prison sentence for his role in a plan to throw a fight against Leo Kuntz in a UFC card in South Korea.

“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” UFC wrote in a statement. “Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors wagering on every UFC event and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout on Saturday, November 1. We take these allegations very seriously, and along with the health and safety of our fighters, nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport.”