As the world of MMA continues to evolve, so do the rules and regulations surrounding betting in the sport. The UFC has been especially strict in its stance on betting, especially in light of recent controversies that have sent ripples through the industry.
Krause served as a middleman or agent between an offshore sportsbook and bettors as early as 2019. Krause is said to have provided bookmakers with credit line and login credentials, allowing them to place wagers on offshore betting sites.
He would then allegedly accept payments directly through Venmo or PayPal from the bettors. According to sources, Krause offered bookmakers compensation for referring additional gamblers to him.
At UFC 287, women’s strawweight contender Sam Hughes secured a unanimous decision victory over Jaqueline Amorim. After her win, Hughes made a statement during the media address that raised eyebrows.
She claimed that her boyfriend had bet $1000 on her to win. This is despite the UFC’s explicit rule that prohibits competitors, coaches, team members, or family members from betting on matches within the promotion.
MMA fans were quick to express concern for Hughes, as her admission of insider betting could have serious ramifications. Some of the comments were as follows:
“Yeah, that’s a real unforced error right there. “Any other person with access to non-public information regarding participants in any MMA match” definitely would include a fighter’s significant other/partner.”
“She needs to tweet out immediately that her boyfriend was just pranking her and that he didn’t bet on her.”
“Two words: James Krause”
According to a UFC memo sent to athletes and team members last year, no competitor, coach, team member, or family member is allowed to bet on bouts.
This policy was introduced approximately two and a half months after James Krause revealed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that he makes more money from betting on and promoting matches than coaching.
Krause had reportedly been offering betting advice for a fee on a Discord server with around 2400 members.