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MMA has overtaken boxing in recent years as the most prominent combat sport across the globe, with the UFC becoming the biggest combat sports promotion in the world. The more attention the sport of mixed martial arts has garnered, the more lucrative it has become.
Thus, MMA—and the UFC especially—has supplanted boxing as the center of betting in the combat sports world. Countless people, whether they're fans or men of wealth, are eager to bet on which fighter will emerge victorious. At times, people are merely confident in a dominant fighter's ability to continue winning.
In other instances, however, people make high-risk bets on fighters who have nonexistent odds of defeating their foes. While betting brings a certain level of excitement to part of the UFC's demographic, it can become scandalous when figures within the promotion partake in it.
This month, the UFC introduced an anti-gambling policy that prevents fighters from betting on bouts in the promotion. Off the back of the new policy, this list details five instances of betting-related incidents involving UFC figures.
#5. Joe Rogan, UFC color commentator
Joe Rogan is the UFC's most well-known color commentator. His voice is synonymous with the promotion. The former Fear Factor host has been a part of countless highlight reels due to his signature scream. He is part of MMA folklore and has been a UFC employee since 1997, when he began as an interviewer.
However, a few months ago, Rogan confessed to betting on the promotion's fights well into his tenure as a color commentator under the Zuffa banner. He further expressed his belief that what he was doing was possibly illegal given his position in the company.
While he has since stopped gambling on the promotion's bouts, the former Fear Factor host claims that he once boasted an 84% success rate.
#4. Conor Mcgregor, former UFC two-division champion
Before Conor McGregor became the promotion's greatest-ever star, he was storming through the featherweight division. His goal was to dethrone the great José Aldo. At the time, 'Scarface' held the undisputed 145 lbs title. Unfortunately, a fractured rib forced him to withdraw from their scheduled bout.
With no other recourse, the UFC booked 'The Notorious' in a matchup against then top contender Chad Mendes. Instead of the undisputed title, the two would compete for the interim title, which the winner would then unify in a future bout with 'Scarface'. According to Dana White, the Irishman's confidence was unshakable.
'The Notorious' was so confident that he tried to bet $3 million with White and Lorenzo Fertitta that he'd KO Chad Mendes in the second round. Although the bet wasn't taken, the Irishman's prediction was ultimately correct as he TKO'd his foe in the closing seconds of the second round.
#3. Jordan Leavitt, UFC lightweight
Jordan Leavitt has earned some level of attention for two things in his MMA career. He punctuated his promotional debut with a violent knockout by slamming his opponent to the mat. Second, his post-fight dances have garnered enough internet attention that it became a talking point prior to his bout with Paddy Pimblett.
While he lost to 'The Baddy', 'The Monkey King' was on a win streak prior to the bout. He was 10-1 and his latest win came against Trey Ogden. He was so confident in his ability to defeat his opponent that he placed a bet on himself. Although he was relatively quiet about it, his confidence was quickly noticed.
Leavitt's bet was identified on BetMMAtips, which enables MMA gamblers to follow their bets. Given that 'The Monkey King' was an underdog prior to the bout and emerged victorious, his assessment wasn't wrong.
#2. Justin Jaynes, former UFC featherweight/lightweight
Most fans might not remember Justin Jaynes. He had an unsuccessful UFC run with one win and three losses before being released from the promotion. While it isn't unheard of for Dana White to cut fighters who are on losing streaks, the circumstances surrounding Justin Jaynes' release were different.
In 2021, 'Guitar Hero' bet his entire fight purse on his bout with Charles Rosa. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt was so confident in his abilities that he urged anyone who listened to bet on him as well. Unfortunately, he lost the bout via split-decision.
Jaynes claims to have no regrets for betting on himself, but despite taking fights on short-notice in a bid to help the promotion, he was still cut on his birthday.
#1. James Krause, retired UFC fighter/active coach
James Krause has been in several headlines as of late. Whether he's being accused by Megan Anderson of neglecting her as a coach or carrying on an alleged affair with Laura Sanko, he's been in the MMA news cycle. Unfortunately, his career has taken a major hit due to a betting scandal.
During an interview with the MMA Hour, 'The James Krause' openly spoke about how much money he earned through betting. He owns a subscription service where users pay a monthly fee to receive betting tips from him. The Glory MMA coach allegedly used this to sell information relating to his own fighters.
He allegedly informed users on injuries, etc., suffered by his own fighters so that they'd know who to bet on. Furthermore, he—again, allegedly—entered his users' accounts to place bets on their behalf provided that they deposited a minimum of $5,000 every time the account balance reached zero.
In response to his actions, the promotion revoked Krause's cornering license and barred him and every fighter who trains at Glory MMA from fighting in the promotion. Not only have other MMA promotions followed suit, but the American's phones, computers, etc., have all been confiscated by investigative authorities.
