Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

UFC featherweights Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle faced off in Vegas. Moments before the fight, Dulgarian odds to win the fight dropped from -250 to -154. This means that large amounts of money were bet on Del Valle shortly before the fight began. A prop bet (Del Valle to win the first round) moved from +850 to +475. Del Valle went on to win the fight in the first round via rear naked choke. UFC’s president Dana White spoke on this, saying publicly, “Literally, the first thing we did afterward was call the FBI. I’ve met with the FBI twice today.”  

In late October, Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested and is actively being investigated for illegal gambling activities with the mafia. This was tied to high stakes poker games connected to organized crime. Former Boston Celtic’s star Terry Rozier was also arrested on October 23rd, 2025 and is being investigated by the FBI for large scale illegal sports betting, also connected to organized crime.

According to the Pew Research Center, 22% of Americans have reported sports betting in the last 12 months. This is roughly ⅕ Americans. This number will likely grow because it is becoming increasingly more accessible on our phones. 

It is estimated that $16 million were bet on Dulgarian vs Del Valle. Many betting sites like Draft Kings, pulled the fight shortly after to prevent this issue from spiraling. 

When scandals like this appear, the foundation of the sport becomes compromised, and the integrity questioned. FBI director Kash Patel compared this current sports betting investigation to the NBA’s insider trading scandals. Patel does not handle situations like this lightly, stating, “We follow the money … If you break the law, we’re coming for you”.

The future of sports betting is in question. Players who are connected to an organization need to maintain integrity by avoiding insider betting. It is highly illegal, and one who breaks policies like this will pay consequences for their actions. 

This investigation is still ongoing and there have been no recent updates on these cases. Those connected are being investigated, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty. 

Sources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mma_ufc/ufcs-dana-white-confirms-fbi-talks-over-unusual-betting-activity-on-fighter-isaac-dulgarian-match/ar-AA1PSyg3?ocid=BingNewsVerp

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6780028/2025/11/05/ufc-betting-scandal-dana-white-fbi/