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UFC Cancels Boxing Bout After Suspicious Betting Activity Arises Again

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The UFC canceled a bout from the UFC 324 card on Saturday, January 24, in Las Vegas after one of the matchups was flagged for suspicious betting activity.

“It happened again,” said UFC CEO Dana White in the post-match press conference. “We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this s*** again.’ So we pulled the fight.”

The bout canceled was the lightweight matchup between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson. It was pulled just a few hours before the fight was scheduled to take place.

The cancellation comes in the wake of another sports betting scandal that the UFC had to deal with back in November. At that time, the UFC was alerted about suspicious betting activity before the match between fighters Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle, but that bout went on as scheduled despite the warnings.

Dulgarian was the heavy favorite heading into the match, but ended up losing in the first round by submission, raising eyebrows across the sport. Dulgarian was subsequently released by the UFC.

“[Integrity Compliance 360, a sports betting watchdog company] reached out and told us there was some unusual action going on with that fight and [asked] did we know anything,” White told TMZ at the time. “We didn’t. We called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money, has anybody approached you?’ The kid said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’”

Shortly after the fight, the UFC announced that it was working with the FBI on an investigation, but White denied that fixed fights were a widespread issue within the organization.

“The fight plays out, first-round finish — literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. I met the FBI twice,” White said.

He continued, “People are out there talking, ‘There are 100 fights [flagged as suspicious],’ and that’s usual clickbait bulls***. We’re watching every single fight that happens in the UFC.”

The UFC is far from the first professional sports organization to face sports betting scandals, with MLB and the NBA both dealing with recent integrity questions as well.

In November, MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians were both accused of rigging bets related to their pitches thrown during games.

Prosecutors at the time claimed in the indictment that gamblers won at least $450,000 wagering on the pair’s pitches between 2023 and 2025. Clase allegedly arranged with a bettor in May 2023, while prosecutors claim Ortiz joined the scheme in June 2025. Both pitchers were allegedly given a cut of the profits.

Related: Guardians Pitchers Indicted on MLB Gambling Charges After NBA Betting Scandal

Two Cleveland Guardian pitchers have been indicted by prosecutors on various charges related to a sports gambling scheme. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have both been accused of rigging bets related to their pitches thrown during MLB games. Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday, November 9, and will appear […]

Both pitchers were put on non-disciplinary paid leave in July, after betting-integrity firms flagged irregular wagering on a pair of pitches thrown by Ortiz in June.

In October, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat star Terry Rozier were both arrested because of their involvement in an illegal gambling scheme.

Billups was charged in an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia and Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were also charged in a separate but related illegal gambling case.

“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in response to the arrests. “So I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”

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