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Another sports betting controversy has hit professional sports, this time in mixed martial arts.
The UFC cut fighter Isaac Dugarian on Monday, coming two days after a first-round loss to Yadier del Valle at Fight Night in Las Vegas, according to multiple reports.
“Like many professional sports organizations, the UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor betting activity on our events,” the promotion told The New York Post in a statement. “Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors betting on all UFC events and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dugarian vs. del Valle fight on Saturday, November 1. We take these allegations very seriously and, along with the health and safety of our fighters, nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport.”
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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)
Unusual betting activity was marked for the Bulgarians’ match. Dugarian, who is now 7-2 in his professional UFC career, was a -250 favorite, but the line drastically moved to -154 before the fight.
Several sportsbooks flagged the unusual activity and stopped taking bets on it before the first-round bell rang. Caesars Sportsbook even offered refunds to anyone who bet on Dugarian.
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“Mobile customers with losing bets on the Dugarian UFC fight will receive a cash credit within 24 hours (singles), or within 24 hours of the final leg being decided (Parlay/SGP/Super Parlay) if that bet had won without that leg included,” Caesars Sportsbook on X wrote.
(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)
DraftKings also told The Post that it is “aware of potential concerns” about the matchup.
“We are working with our integrity monitors and will provide updates to customers as they become available.
Dugarian, 29, lost by submission, but commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa were confused by what happened, calling Del Valle’s finish “white belt stuff”, believing it wasn’t the most complicated.
Making Dugarian’s situation more interesting are his comments about his belief that fighters should get a cut for betting on fights.
Isaac Dugarian returns to his corner after the first round of his featherweight fight against Christian Rodriguez during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
“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.”
