The fallout continues from the investigation into suspicious gambling activity surrounding the November UFC Fight Night bout between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. Nevada deputy attorney general Joel Bekker announced on Tuesday that they had discovered information that UFC flyweight Jeff Molina was involved in a "substantial way" with the suspicious activity, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission had temporarily suspended Molina last moth as it began its investigation. That suspension was extended on Tuesday pending the results of the ongoing investigation into coach James Krause.
Betting integrity firms then began investigating the situation and fighters were banned from training with Krause, who was also the host of a betting tip service called "The 1% Club." Federal investigations have also reportedly begun looking into Krause and ESPN reported that Krause also served as an agent for an offshore gambling website.
Nuerdanbieke was a -220 favorite entering the Minner fight, but the odds swelled to -420 in the hours leading to the fight as rumors began to spread that Minner would be entering the cage with a significant knee injury. Additional large bets came in on Nuerdanbieke winning by TKO in the first round and the fight ending in under 2.5 rounds.
The activity was suspicious enough that many sportsbooks stopped taking bets on the fight. After Minner threw two kicks with his clearly injured leg, he ended up on the canvas where he was stopped with strikes 67 seconds after the opening bell. Minner was subsequently cut by the UFC.
Molina was a member of Krause's "1% Club." In touting the club, Molina stated "In stocks this is called insider trading. In MMA betting it's called James Krause. For the last 6 months all my bills including mortgage and car note have been paid via Krause's picks. Do yourself a favor and join the VIP."
