US Integrity has started an investigation into the UFC matchup between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke due to suspicious gambling activity, according to a report by ESPN.
The recent fight was a featherweight clash in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex Center. Minner walked into the matchup as the contest underdog. According to the ESPN report, rumors had circulated prior to the fight that Minner was injured. He succumbed to a knee to the head from Nuerdanbieke, after only throwing two kicks during the first round.
Due to the information circulated before the match, several bookmakers withdrew the fight from their cards, while odds for Nuerdanbieke “shortened considerably.” The events promoted US Integrity to begin an investigation, according to the ESPN report.
US Integrity President Matthew Holt said he was not at liberty to provide details beyond an official statement from the organization.
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."
The investigation follows a recent memo the UFC released that prohibits its fighters from wagering on UFC events. The organization released an official statement, commenting on the pending investigation.
The statement 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."
