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UFC president Dana White confirmed that the organization has been in talks with the FBI about “unusual” betting activities on a fight involving fighter Isaac Dugarian.
Dugarian was the heavy favorite heading into UFC Fight Night 263 this weekend, but stunningly lost in the first round via submission. It was the first stop loss of his career.
Yadier del Valle of Cuba secures a rear choke submission against Isaac Dugarian in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 1, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
But behind the scenes and ahead of the fight, White was contacted by Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) over what he called “unusual” betting activity that allegedly saw betting interest on opponent Yadier del Valle to win in the first round.
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White told TMZ Sports on Tuesday that they contacted Dugarian and his lawyer before the fight to question him about their concerns.
“We called the fighter and his lawyer and said, ‘What’s going on? There’s some weird action going on in your betting — some weird betting action going on with your fight. Are you injured? Do you owe any money? Has anyone approached you?’ And the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’ So we said, OK.”
White said that as soon as the fight was over, the UFC contacted the FBI.
Isaac Dugarian returns to his corner after the first round of his featherweight bout against Christian Rodriguez during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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“The battle unfolds and [it’s a] first round finish with rear-naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI.
White said he has since spoken with the FBI several times. He stopped short of calling Dugarian “guilty.”
“There’s no proof that he’s done this yet, but I can tell you this: it doesn’t look good. It certainly doesn’t look good.”
(L-R) Christian Rodriguez beats Isaac Dugarian in their featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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Caesars Sportsbook released a statement after the game announcing that lost bets would be refunded.
The controversy surrounding the UFC comes amid the FBI’s bombshell allegations of illegal sports betting and gambling involving allegations against Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones.
