The scandal engulfing mixed martial arts continues to widen as MMA journalist Harry Mac has revealed the identities of two additional fighters flagged by federal authorities for abnormal betting activity during a recent UFC card.
According to Mac’s reporting on The MMA Outsiders podcast, featherweights David Onama and Daniel Franza were both flagged alongside the previously reported Nurullo Aliev (also known as Dulgarian) on the November card that has become the epicenter of betting irregularities in the sport.
The revelation about Onama is particularly noteworthy given his connection to former coach James Krause, who was previously suspended by the UFC following a separate betting scandal involving fighter Darrick Minner.
Steve Garcia, who defeated both Onama and Calvin Kattar in consecutive bouts, has now found his recent victories under scrutiny despite his impressive finishing streak.
“I don’t want to take away from Steve Garcia because the finish streak that he has is unbelievable,” Mac said during the podcast, while noting the competitive nature of the matchups raised eyebrows. “You consider number 12 vs. number 13 in the UFC. That’s supposed to be a competitive fight.”
Franza’s case appears distinct from the others, with Mac confirming that unlike Onama and Aliev, the fighter has no known association with Krause. Mac suggested this could represent an independent incident, potentially involving gamblers acting on hunches rather than insider information.
The scope of the problem appears far larger than initially reported. Mac has claimed that federal regulators have flagged over 100 UFC events this year for abnormal betting patterns, a number that has sparked fierce debate between the journalist and UFC CEO Dana White.
White addressed the situation in comments to TMZ Sports, stating that while one specific bout remains under investigation, reports of hundreds of fights being examined are “total clickbait BS.” However, Mac noted a critical distinction in White’s response: “DANA says 100 fights aren’t being INVESTIGATED. So how many are Dana?”
The journalist has also been compiling evidence beyond the current cases. Mac revealed receiving a list of 50 potentially questionable bouts, all officiated by veteran referee Jason Herzog, though he stressed this represents patterns worth examining rather than proof of wrongdoing.
Perhaps most concerning are the reports emerging of fighters being directly approached with offers to manipulate outcomes. Mac shared that fighter Vince Morales, initially thought to be joking on social media, confirmed he was approached by an unknown man on a casino floor who offered him $70,000 in cash. Morales stated he declined and never saw the individual again.
“My understanding is that the Dulgarian controversy is not an isolated incident,” wrote prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. “I’ve spoken to multiple people who have either experienced or know of others who have been approached about their willingness to do something like this.”
During Helwani’s show, the host received a real-time text from a source claiming: “I can tell you a fight that I am 100% certain was thrown and two others that were attempted.”
Mac has been particularly critical of what he perceives as the UFC’s handling of the Aliev situation, noting that the organization received notification from the FBI about suspicious betting activity—including a $16 million handle on what was merely an undercard preliminary bout at the Apex facility—but allowed the contest to proceed.
“VERY important tidbit here: the FBI notified the UFC of the abnormal action and line movement and gave them hours to pull the fight. They chose to continue and from my perspective are now complicit in fixing a fight,” Mac wrote on social media.
The journalist has also expressed frustration with what he views as insufficient coverage from mainstream MMA media outlets, suggesting their access to UFC events creates a conflict of interest in reporting critically on the organization.
As the investigation continues, Mac confirmed he has been in contact with Jason House, manager of Aliev, who has pledged cooperation with authorities. House denied having knowledge of any irregularities and claimed he has had no contact with James Krause since the previous betting scandal.
The unfolding situation threatens to become what Mac called “the biggest scandal in the history of the sport,” with implications that could extend well beyond the fighters already identified.
