Even more Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) figures are coming forward to address the growing media storm over potential match-fixing in the competition, including Dana White, the promotion’s CEO.
In a busy week for the popular bloodsport, there have been allegations of FBI involvement, sports book refunds for contests, and the promoter taking action against those involved. It comes hot on the heels of the FBI investigation into multiple NBA stars.
White met these topics head-on in a conversation with TMZ, in the wake of Isaac Dulgarian’s fall from grace against Yadier del Valle.
“If you try to do this (contest fixing for money), we will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you, guns ablazing with the FBI and anyone else we need to get to make sure you go to prison,” said White.
Dulgarian fuels the conversation around betting irregularities
As we reported, the UFC decided to offload Dulgarian after the fighter was forced to submit by relative newcomer del Valle. Reasons are centered around a flurry of betting odds changes before the first bell that saw lines plummet for a first-round decision.
Some lines, such as de Valle’s odds to win the contest in that first round, dropped from +850 to +475. This dramatic change was also highlighted by DraftKings, one of the major players in sports prop betting, to take down lines on the young Cuban taking out Dulgarian.
Dana White, the head of UFC, said that “we called the fighter and his (Dulgarian’s) lawyer and said, ‘what is going on? There is some weird action going on in your bet…are you injured? Do you owe anybody money? Did anyone approach you?”
“Literally the first thing we (UFC) did was call the FBI,” continued White, speaking to TMZ.
White dismissed the impact of betting and match-fixing in the sport, “Now people are saying, there are hundreds of fights (involved in fixed outcomes), that is total bullshit, clickbait bullshit. There are not hundreds of fights being investigated, clickbait.”
What makes de Valle’s rear-naked choke against the seasoned veteran at the 3:41 minute mark is that other gambling operators, such as Caesars, refunded customers and posted to social media, officially recognising the rising chorus of disgruntled bettors.
Mobile customers with losing bets on the Dulgarian UFC fight will receive a cash credit within 24 hours (singles), or within 24 hours of the last leg being determined (Parlay/SGP/Super Parlay) should that bet have won without that leg included.
— Caesars Sportsbook Support (@CaesarsHelp) November 2, 2025
White also spoke of his connection to FBI Director Kash Patel, saying, “I spoke with him this morning, then we had an office full of FBI agents in here.”
Even more UFC fighters break silence
“We see fighters coming out on the internet, saying I was approached. Then why didn’t you tell us then? Or more importantly, why didn’t you tell law enforcement you were approached?” said White of fighters breaking their silence publicly.
Vince Morales was offered $70,000 to take a dive in a now-deleted X post, according to MMA Mania. The eleven-time competitor wrote, “All this throwing the fight stuff is crazy! I’ve been approached about doing it and it’s not something I could live with … even though I ended up losing the damn fight anyways.”
Senior Reporter for USAToday’s UFC coverage, Mike Bohn, also posted the news that Vanessa Demopoulos confirmed that she had been approached to consider making non-competitive decisions for money, but her integrity wasn’t for sale.
10-fight UFC veteran Vanessa Demopoulos also says she was approached. https://t.co/Iy3t2DhoFw pic.twitter.com/7sE7CecE4R
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) November 4, 2025
“Yeah people have approached me to throw fights also. My integrity could never. We’ve spent our lives learning skills and honoring this sport. Can’t believe people compromise their morels [sic] like this.”
The UFC is acting quickly to quell any mention of match interference following Dulgarian’s release, and the promoter has stated it will investigate the contest, according to ESPN.
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events. Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors wagering on every UFC event and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout 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.”
This match couldn’t come at a more inopportune time for the brand, as the UFC just signed a seven-year media rights agreement deal with Paramount to the tune of $1.1 billion.
“It’s really weird fighters (coming out) saying they were approached, now they will be approached by the FBI,” concluded White.
Featured image: TMZ via YouTube
The post Dana White vows FBI action amid UFC match-fixing claims and betting chaos appeared first on ReadWrite.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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