The UFC clash between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke is being investigated by a US betting integrity organisation.
Minner and Nuerdanbieke met in a featherweight clash at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas last weekend, with Minner heading into the contest as the underdog. Prior to the fight, speculation had circulated that Minner was injured, and when the bout began he immediately grimaced after throwing two kicks, before his opponent moved in and finished the contest with a brutal knee to the head in the first round.
Nuerdanbieke's odds shortened considerably in the hours prior to the victory with money pouring in to back the favourite to win within two rounds, which prompted many bookmakers to withdraw the fight from their cards. Betting integrity firm U.S. Integrity were contacted by the companies, and an investigation is now officially underway according to ESPN.
The president of the betting integrity organisation Matthew Holt was unable to give further details about the ongoing enquiry in an official statement. He told ESPN: "Our goal as always is to notify the industry of any potential nefarious, abnormal or suspicious activity as soon as possible, so they can take action as quickly as possible. In this case, we hope that by sending a couple hours before the fight started, we may have helped prevent some more suspicious bets from getting through."
According to analysis provided by the documents, money continued to pour in despite bookmakers moving to make the odds available at less attractive prices for customers. After seeing the pattern of betting continue without any let-up, the bookmakers became more suspicious of the trend.
U.S. Integrity, who are conducting the official investigation, are unable to impose any penalties or take action and so an investigation would need to be conducted by betting regulators and governing authorities in the US. Nuerdanbieke had not recorded a stoppage in four years leading up to the fight, but boosted his record with a comfortable first-round win over Sinner.
A statement from the UFC read: "Like many professional sports organisations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events. Our betting integrity partner, Don Best Sports, a leading global supplier of real-time betting data for North American sporting events, will conduct a thorough review of the facts and report its findings. At this time, we have no reason to believe either of the athletes involved in the bout, or anyone associated with their teams, behaved in an unethical or irresponsible manner."
It was only recently announced that UFC fighters and their teams are no longer able to wager on the events as of October, in an official declaration from the promotion. And after a dossier was compiled on the new legislation, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell said: "As the sport has grown over time, the overwhelming majority of states that regulate sports gambling have some prohibitions on inside betting activity.
"And this wasn't something the UFC advanced independently. This was something the UFC set forth in response from governmental agencies, aware we are also subject to governmental regulation as we're licensed promoters in virtually every state. It's the natural evolution of the sport."
