NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
A fight on UFC 324’s early preliminary card was quietly canceled Saturday night, but UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that irregular betting activity was the cause.
White told reporters after the bouts, where the main event saw Justin Gaethje upset Paddy Pimblitt, that the Michael Johnson-Alex Hernandez lightweight bout was taken off the card due to the tip he received from the promotion’s gaming integrity service.
“We got a call from the gaming integrity service and I said, ‘I’m not doing this again,’ so we took the fight,” White told Yahoo Sports.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez perform at the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-ins at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
White did not add details about what the irregularities were, as well as which fighter, if either, was suspected of causing the irregularity.
But it’s clear White wasn’t trying to deal with another controversy after last year’s Isaac Dugarian fight.
UFC CUTS FIGHTER AFTER SPORTSBOOK FLAGS “USUSUAL” BETTING ACTIVITY ON HIS FIRST-ROUND LOSS
Dugarian was cut from the UFC’s roster after a serious upset loss to Yadier del Valle in November 2025. There was strange betting activity before the fight, with Dugarian going from -250 to -154 to win the fight.
When he lost, commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa were confused by what was happening, calling Del Valle’s finishes “white belt stuff”, thinking it wasn’t the most complicated stuff.
Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez face each other during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-ins at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The FBI and the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) also remain in their investigation of Dugarian.
Making Dugarian’s situation more interesting are his comments about his belief that fighters should get a cut for betting on fights.
“I said, ‘Don’t put me on unless you pay me a percentage.’ I do all the work, that’s how I feel about it,” Dugarian told MMA Junkie. “… If you bet on me, I want some of it.”
Aside from Dugarian, Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina were hit with three-year suspensions by the NAC for a 2022 game that had suspicious betting activity involving Minner.
UFC CEO and President Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
With sports betting legal in the US, unfortunately there have been moments like these across multiple leagues, including the NFL, NBA and MLB.
