UFC veterans Jeff Molina and Darrick Minner have just been slammed with a landmark multi-year suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) in the wake of the James Krause betting scandal.
Following a series of disciplinary hearings that finished earlier this week, the NAC ruling marks a pivotal moment following the fallout from the illegal betting scheme that continues to rock the UFC and the fighting game community as a whole.
Applied retroactively, Minner, 34, was slapped with a 29-month suspension from November 2022, which officially ended on Wednesday (March 26th).
In addition to the ban, Minner also faces a $235 fine for failing to disclose a serious knee injury he sustained prior to his November 2022 fight against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, which saw him bow out after just 67 seconds, prompting suspicions of the perceived manipulation of the fights betting odds.
Molina, 27, didn’t get off quite as lightly, having been handed a longer 36-month suspension retroactively applied from June 2022, which means he remains suspended until November 5, 2025.
He, too, was fined $235 after being found guilty of placing significant bets on Minner’s fight, having also misled the commission by failing to inform them about the fighter’s injury despite knowing of it ahead of time.
Why Were Molina and Minner Banned?
In both cases, the suspensions stem from the betting irregularities that arose around Minner’s fight, which saw an unprecedented shift in betting odds just before the bout. The distinctive odds shift inevitably triggered an investigation that led to the involvement of federal agencies and the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Despite both fighters having initially been suspended in December 2022, the NAC’s decision this week formally recognizes their long-term penalties following their investigations.
However, at the core of the gaming scandal was the former Glory MMA coach James Krause, who is suspected of working on behalf of offline sportsbook ABCBetting.ag. As a result of this alleged illicit partnership, it is believed Krause was able to obtain lines of credit in return for referral kickbacks ahead of his fighter’s fights.
This is the latest betting scandal across sports. It has seen regulation increase and the likes of the NCAA introduce advanced technology to detect potential match fixing.
As part of the aftermath of the UFC scandal – which has effectively destroyed Krause’s reputation in the sport – he has since left the UFC and is still under investigation for his involvement in the apparent betting scheme.
While the ripple effect and the impact of the bans on Molina and Minner’s careers is yet to be seen, with the NAC’s ruling in place and the gambling investigations still ongoing, the scandal continues to cast a shadow over the UFC’s reputation for now.