UFC Meets With FBI Following Controversial Fight, Suspicious Betting

• UFC CEO Dana White said he met with the FBI following a controversial ending to a recent fight
• White said integrity monitors reported suspicious betting activity for a recent Isaac Dulgarian fight
• Several sportsbooks refunded bets after the fight

---

UFC CEO Dana White recently reported that he immediately contacted the FBI following the results of a suspicious MMA fight involving Isaac Dulgarian, a heavily-favored fighter who lost in the first round to underdog Yadier del Valle at UFC Fight Night this past Saturday.

In an interview with TMZ, White said integrity monitoring company IC360 contacted the UFC on the day of the Dulgarian fight event regarding unusual betting activity on the event. An abnormal amount of money reportedly flowed in on Dulgarian’s opponent, as well as on a first-round finish.

“The fight plays out. First round finish by a rear naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. I’ve met with the FBI twice today,” White said during Tuesday’s interview.

Dana White is breaking his silence after suspicious betting activity was observed before Isaac Dulgarian, a heavy favorite, lost on Saturday.
The @UFC honcho walks us through everything that's gone down, from being alerted to potential irregularities before the event to meeting… pic.twitter.com/cVrp99W82Z

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) November 4, 2025

Match Fixing Fears for UFC Fight

Dulgarian came into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night as a heavy favorite, nearly at -250 on the day of the event to defeat del Valle, but odds slimmed to about -130 before the fight. According to an ESPN report, an abnormal amount of money also flowed into first-round finish bets, which raised the eyebrows of at least several sportsbooks.

Several sportsbooks took the event off the market. Caesars Sportsbook and William Hill both refunded all losing bets on the fight after the event.

Mobile customers with losing bets on the Dulgarian UFC fight will receive a cash credit within 24 hours (singles), or within 24 hours of the last leg being determined (Parlay/SGP/Super Parlay) should that bet have won without that leg included.

— Caesars Sportsbook Support (@CaesarsHelp) November 2, 2025

Dulgarian has since been released from the UFC following the controversial finish.

White reported the UFC contacted Dulgarian prior to the fight after receiving its IC360 report, asking the athlete if he had been approached by anyone to throw the fight or if he was injured in any way. Dulgarian denied any of the accusations and said he would win the fight.

“We called the fighter and his lawyer, and said, ‘what’s going on? There’s weird betting action on your fight. Are you injured? Has anyone approached you?’ The kid said, ‘No absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’ So we said okay,” White said.

White noted IC360 provides the UFC with betting integrity reports after every single fight. He denied that there are “hundreds” of events being investigated, chalking it up to incorrect media reports and social media.

White also said he has met directly with FBI Director Kash Patel regarding the incident and had an “office full of FBI agents in here” after the incident. He warned any fighters engaging in fight-fixing that the UFC will “immediately go after you guns blazing with the FBI and whoever else we need to get.”

“I’m not saying this kid is guilty. There’s no proof that he has done this yet, but I can tell you this, it doesn’t’ look good. It definitely doesn’t look good. We approached him before the fight, he and his lawyer, asking if he’s hurt? Are you injured in any way? Do you owe people money? Have you been asked to do anything illegal? We asked him all the questions, and everything was absolutely not. Hell no. So the fight went on,” White said.

In Wake of NBA Betting Scandal

The UFC fight-fixing fears come just a week after new broke of an NBA sports betting and poker scandal that saw several current and former members of the NBA manipulating player prop outcomes and sharing insider information with an illegal sports betting ring.

The sports betting case, dubbed “Operation Nothing But Net” by the FBI, included similar individuals who orchestrated the sports betting scheme involving former Raptors center Jontay Porter. Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in manipulating his performance outcomes and is awaiting sentencing. He has also been permanently banned from the NBA.

Six individuals have been arrested, including current NBA guard Terry Rozier, for their roles in manipulating the outcome of game performances. A federal investigation for Rozier was announced in January, centering around a March 23, 2023 game when Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game after leaving with what was described as a foot injury. Rozier averaged more than 35 minutes a game that season.

The individuals involved in the conspiracy knew when specific players would be sitting out futures games or who planned to pull themselves out of competition early, for purported injuries of illnesses.

The defendants placed bets on games involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and