The lightweight fight between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez was pulled just hours before UFC 324 got underway and now we know why.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed after the event ended that betting irregularities led to the promotion’s decision to cancel the fight. The odds for the matchup shifted dramatically prior to the start of the card, which had some online sportsbooks flagging the fight for “betting irregularities.”
A similar situation happened this past November involving featherweight fighter Isaac Dulgarian, but the UFC allowed the bout to move forward despite concerns over the shift in the betting lines. Dulgarian was ultimately submitted in the first round — after he was originally favored to win — and the UFC immediately notified the FBI about the situation.
“That’s what it is. Happened again,” White confirmed about Johnson vs. Hernandez being pulled due to concerns over the betting lines. “We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said I’m not doing this shit again. We pulled the fight.”
When the same thing happened in the Dulgarian fight, White said the UFC contacted him and asked if he was injured or perhaps owed somebody money that could lead to such a dramatic change in the odds for his fight. White claimed Dulgarian promised he was good to go but then he suffered a lopsided loss in the fight.
The UFC wasted no time releasing Dulgarian from the roster and he’s now under suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission while an investigation is still ongoing.
White said he doesn’t know any additional details about the Johnson vs. Hernandez fight, but he expects the FBI to add that to the list of matchups being flagged for the investigation.
“The FBI’s already deep into all this stuff anyway,” White said. “I’m sure this one will be next.”
As far as the fighters go, White stated “I don’t know” when asked if Johnson and/or Hernandez could face a similar fate as Dulgarian after the betting irregularities surrounding their fight.
For now, the fight was pulled from UFC 324 and an investigation is already opened to try and figure out why the betting lines shifted so much in such a short matter of time.
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