Isaac Dulgarian has been axed by the UFC amid allegations of fight fixing.
The featherweight was cut from Dana White’s roster just one day after falling to defeat at UFC Vegas 110 on Saturday, where he submitted to a rear-naked choke three minutes and 41 seconds into the bout.
Suspicious betting patterns emerged in the build-up to the fight as Dulgarian was a 2/5 favourite coming in but by the time the first bell rang his odds had plummeted to around 4/5.
Sportsbooks told ESPN that substantial wagers on Dulgarian’s opponent Yadier del Valle arrived before the scrap and bettors continued to back him heavily despite dramatic changes in the market.
Del Valle opened at 2/1 but he was sent off an 11/10 shot and some operators even stopped wagering on the fight by Saturday afternoon. Later that night, Caesars Sportsbook said it would refund bets on Dulgarian.
Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), a firm that monitors the betting market for abnormal activity, alerted its clients about unusual wagering interest on Del Valle to win the Fight Night undercard bout in the first round.
Odds on a prop bet for the fight to end in the first round dropped from 17/2 to below 5/1 and many sportsbooks including DraftKings pulled the prop line entirely.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding Dulgarian’s purse from the fight following the controversial loss – with no timeline as to when or if they will release it, pending an investigation.
During the fight, MMA experts noted Dulgarian showed limited offence and appeared hesitant – drawing attention from commentators and viewers at home with a lack of urgency and effort.
ESPN+ commentator and UFC fighter Michael Chiesa described Dulgarian’s performance as below professional standards, saying he appeared disorientated and missed multiple opportunities to defend against the submission.
Before his defeat to Del Valle, Dulgarian said in an interview with MMAJunkie that there should be a clause in UFC contracts for fighters to get ‘like three or five per cent’ of bets placed on them.
“I said, ‘Don’t bet on me unless you’re paying me some percentage,’ I’m doing all the work – that’s how I feel about it. If you’re betting on me, I want some of it.”
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
