Caesars Sportsbook and William Hill sportsbook refunded losing wagers on a UFC fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night after suspicious betting activity before the bout.
Isaac Dulgarian dropped from a favorite of about -250 to about -150 over Yadier del Valle in the hours leading up to their featherweight fight on the main card of UFC Vegas 110 at the UFC Apex.
The Westgate SuperBook took the fight off the board after spotting suspicious betting activity.
“We did take bets on that fight, and the line movement was suspicious enough that we closed it on Saturday,” Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray said.
Murray said the first two bets at the Westgate on the fight were on Del Valle at +210 and +180.
“Those first two bets raised some flags,” he said.
The prop bet odds for a first-round finish by Del Valle also plummeted from +850 to +475, and the prop was reportedly taken off the board at DraftKings sportsbook, which doesn’t operate in Nevada.
Dulgarian suffered a first-round submission loss, tapping out to a rear-naked choke. His efforts were ripped by UFC analyst and fighter Michael Chiesa after the bout on the ESPN+ broadcast.
“I’ve got to be honest here. That was an F- performance,” Chiesa said.
Caesars Sportsbook Support has a pinned tweet (@CaesarsHelp) from Saturday that states “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.”
William Hill posted the same tweet (@WilliamHillUS), with both books adding that “Retail customers should hold their tickets for now.”
A Caesars spokesperson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday that the sportsbook would have no further comment. A DraftKings spokesperson told the RJ that the book had no comment.
The UFC has released Dulgarian from his contract, the RJ confirmed.
The UFC said in a statement to the RJ that it works with Integrity Compliance 360, a firm that monitors the market for abnormal betting activity.
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” a UFC spokesperson said. “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, Nov. 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.”
Dulgarian, who fell to 7-2-0 with his first loss by submission, talked about betting on UFC fights — and said fighters should get a piece of the action — last week in an interview with MMA Junkie. The video is being circulated on social media.
“People always message me and tell me how much money they made. I’m like, ‘I need 10 percent, brother,’ ” Dulgarian said. “I say, ‘Don’t bet on me unless you’re paying me some percentage.’ That’s how I feel about it.
“I work my ass off every day. I’m trying to support a family with this. I think they should put some type of clause, like 3 or 5 percent of what you make goes to the fighter. That’s how I think they should do it. We’re the ones putting our lives on the line. We’re the ones sacrificing everything, training all day long, losing social life. So if you do bet on me, I want some of it.”
The Nevada Gaming Control Board declined comment, public information officer Jennifer Morton wrote in an email.
“We can’t confirm at this time whether or not an active investigation on the matter is underway,” she wrote.
Review-Journal reporter Adam Hill contributed to this story. Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
Source link
