Copyright MMA Fighting
The UFC is in the middle of a major gambling controversy and now several fighters have spoken up to seemingly legitimize the issue. This past Saturday at UFC Vegas 110, Yadier del Valle defeated Isaac Dulgarian via first-round submission in a bout that would have flown well under the radar were it not for suspicious betting activity ahead of the fight that caused a stir on social media. Dulgarian was listed as a heavy favorite throughout fight week, but the betting lines narrowed dramatically in the hours before the contest. When Dulgarian was swiftly submitted, the online fervor only grew, and the controversy was substantiated by major sports books offering compensation to bettors who backed Dulgarian. Less than 48 hours later, Dulgarian was released and the UFC has since released a statement announcing they are “conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout.” Presumably, the review would involve looking into whether Dulgarian knowingly fought with a significant injury and if that information was leaked to specific bettors or if he intentionally took a dive, among other possibilities. Amid the buzz growing around this potential scandal, several UFC fighters have confirmed via social media comments that offers were made to them in the past to throw fights. In a pair of since-deleted tweets, Vince Morales wrote, “All this throwing the fight stuff is crazy!” before noting he had “been approached” to lose a fight on purpose and later replying to a Twitter user that the offer was for $70,000. However, Morales later retracted his statement and apologized, claiming it was simply a joke made in “poor taste.” Another UFC veteran, Lando Vannata seemingly revealed he had been asked to take a dive seven times, writing that “my record reflects my integrity.” Like Morales, Vannata also later retracted his statement claiming he was joking, with the number seven reflecting the number of losses in his UFC career (his record with the promotion is 4-7-2). Vannata wrote on Instagram Stories, “To be clear, I’ve never been approached about throwing a fight nor anyone I know. Because I’m not a ho and would never disrespect the martial arts for money.” Former UFC fighter Zac Pauga commented on the situation, clearly joking from the onset unlike Morales and Vannata, wondering why no one ever asked him to fix a fight. “Here I was ruining people’s parlays for free,” Pauga wrote on Twitter. Vanessa Demopoulos also weighed in via a social media comment, writing, “People have approached me to throw fights also. My integrity could never. We’ve spent our lives learning skills and honoring this sport. Can’t believe people would compromise their morals like this.”
