Dana White 'Cuts Fighter From UFC' After 'Suspicious' Defeat
Dana White has reportedly cut a UFC fighter from the promotion’s roster just hours after his fight over the weekend, with reports since emerging about ‘suspicious’ betting patterns.
UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama took place in Las Vegas on Saturday night, with Albuquerque’s Steve Garcia finishing David Onama in the first round of the main event.
Further down the card, Waldo Cortes Acosta defeated Ante Delija by first-round TKO, while Jeremiah Wells beat Themba Gorimbo by unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Yadier del Valle secured a submission victory, via rear-naked choke, in the fourth minute of round one of his bout against Isaac Dulgarian.
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And despite the impressive finish by Del Valle, Dulgarian has been the talking point following the fight.
Following the bout, UFC reporter Ariel Helwani took to social media, reporting that Dulgarian had subsequently been released by the organisation, according to UFC sources.
Helwani wrote: “The official reason was attributed to last night’s loss; however, the bout has been the center of controversy after a ton of money started to come in on Dulgarian, a sizable favourite, to lose in the first, which is what happened.”
Many sportsbooks – including DraftKings – pulled the option to bet on the bout, according to the Mail.
SPORTbible has contacted the UFC for comment.
It must be noted that the claims are reports at this time, which have not been confirmed by the appropriate authorities.
Dulgarian, who is best known for his wrestling, first signed with the UFC in 2023 and has since won two and lost two of his four fights under the promotion.
In his maiden UFC appearance, he beat Francis Marshall by ground and pound in round one before losing by split decision to Christian Rodriguez in March of 2024.
The 29-year-old returned to winning ways with a victory, via arm triangle, over Brendon Marotte in September 2024 before falling to a defeat against Del Valle over the weekend.
His attempt to defend against Del Valle’s rear-naked choke was slammed by UFC commentator and fighter Michael Chiesa, who was working for ESPN+.
“You can even hear on the broadcast like, ‘What is this guy doing?’ ... I'm sitting here on the pre-show hyping you up as a guy that can go into the top five and win fights, and it doesn't even look like you can fight someone that's in the bottom of the top 500. “I've got to be honest here. That was an F- performance. It was absolute trash,” Chiesa said.
"It was absolute trash."
The UFC previously encountered a similar situation when they cut featherweight Darrick Minner back in 2022 after his TKO loss to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.
A late movement in betting odds prompted an investigation with Minner and his coach, James Krause, earning suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, according to ESPN.
Topics: UFC, Dana White, Ariel Helwani, MMA
Luke Davies