UFC CEO Dana White has denied reports suggesting that hundreds of UFC events are under investigation for suspicious betting activity. He called such claims “total clickbait BS” during a recent interview.
The clarification comes amid heightened scrutiny of a specific UFC fight that triggered unusual betting patterns. White revealed that IC 360, described as “the best bet monitoring company in the business,” alerted the UFC around 1:00 p.m. on fight day about suspicious activity. The company has partnered with the UFC for years, monitoring every single fight from prelims to main events.
When the unusual betting patterns were detected, White’s team immediately contacted the fighter and his lawyer to investigate potential issues.
“Are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?” White recounted asking. The fighter denied everything, stating he was going to win the match. Despite the reassurances, the fight ended in a first-round finish by rear naked choke, prompting immediate action from the UFC.
“Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI,” White stated, adding that he had met with FBI agents twice on the day of the interview. The UFC head emphasized the organization’s zero-tolerance approach to fight fixing: “We will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you, guns ablazing, with the FBI and whoever else we need to get, and we will do everything we can to make sure you go to prison.”
White expressed frustration with fighters now claiming they were previously approached about fixing fights but never reported it to the UFC or law enforcement. He compared the situation to someone being asked to rob a bank and not telling authorities, questioning why fighters would remain silent about such serious criminal propositions.
Although White denied allegations of numerous matches under investigation for match fixing, reports say otherwise.
The UFC CEO stressed that while the current investigation remains ongoing and will include a previous incident from years ago, the sensationalized reports of massive corruption are unfounded.
White was careful to note that while the situation “doesn’t look good” for the fighter in question, there is no proof of guilt yet. The investigation continues with full cooperation between the UFC and federal authorities.
