UFC star Beneil Dariush says FBI investigation into betting scandal could ‘ruin the sport’

Top UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush believes the FBI’s current investigation into alleged fight fixing could do irreparable damage to Mixed Martial Arts.

Mixed Martial Arts, as a sport, has come a long way over the last two decades. From a heavily criticized form of combat sports to becoming one of the biggest juggernauts in athletics, MMA and the UFC have skyrocketed into a global phenomenon.

However, the UFC has faced several controversies since its inception. In recent days, the UFC has dealt with the promotion’s latest betting scandal involving featherweight Isaac Dulgarian.

Dulgarian lost to Yadier del Valle by first-round submission last Saturday at UFC Vegas 110. In the aftermath of the fight, it was reported that a third-party betting integrity partner reported significant abnormalities in betting activity leading up to the battle.

The FBI continues to investigate the incident, as well as other alleged fight-fixing incidents, in collaboration with the UFC brass. UFC CEO Dana White met with FBI director Kash Patel yesterday, as he alluded to in his first remarks on the issue.

Beneil Dariush weighs in on the potential implications of Isaac Dulgarian betting scandal

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, lightweight Beneil Dariush reacted to the Dulgarian controversy and potential fallout.

“I wouldn’t be surprised because what they could do is, they could basically track the location of your phone, and everybody’s phone you’ve been in contact with,” Dariush said. “It’ll be very difficult to get away with it, but it definitely sounds like [Dulgarian] might have done it. The fact that they’re moving forward that quickly, there’s a good chance they already have information they need.

“That totally ruins our sport if this is something happening on a regular basis. What I’m about to say is not going to be popular, but I’m not a believer in gambling. I’m not a fan of gambling, so I wonder if they’re just going to remove gambling, but I don’t know if we can. It’s outside of our control. It’s outside of the UFC’s control.”