Dana White says fight fixing is a “huge concern” for UFC amid betting investigation

Dana White says fight fixing is now a huge concern for the UFC.

Last month, a fight between Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke was deemed suspicious and it brought an investigation into the fight. The betting line changed drastically in the hours before the bout took place. Right away, it was clear Minner was not healthy as he threw a kick and grimaced and pain, and lost by TKO in under a minute.

Since the fight, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has suspended both Minner and his coach, James Krause, while the investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, the UFC also banned any fighter training under Krause from competing in the UFC until the investigation is over.

Now, with the investigation getting serious and the FBI being involved – according to ESPN – Dana White says fight fixing is a major concern for the promotion.

“Huge concern. … Now that there’s an investigation and it could be possible that it happened, yeah,” White said to ESPN.

White also said due to the investigation still going on, he can’t comment much on it. But, he said this is something every professional sport has dealt with.

“We’ve always told the fighters, as all the gambling stuff started to heat up, stay away from gambling,” White said. “Do you know how stupid you have to be to get involved in something like that?…

“In every sport, somebody thinks they’re smarter than everybody else when really they’re the dumbest guy in the room,” White said. “And you will get caught — you will get caught and you will go to prison. It is what it is. If you’re that dumb and you’re willing to take that risk for money. Ruin your life for money. We can tell people until we’re blue in the face. Same thing as steroids, performance-enhancing drugs. ‘Don’t do it, USADA is testing, you’re gonna get caught.’ But this is a whole other level. … If you’re that stupid, have fun in prison.”

As of right now, the investigation is still ongoing but Dana White says this did open the UFC’s eyes in a big way about potential fight fixing and fighter’s gambling.

What do you make of Dana White saying fight-fixing is a major concern for the UFC?