UFC veteran Darrick Minner could be looking at a suspension or fines stemming from his bout at UFC Vegas 64, which is currently under investigation for suspicious betting behavior.
During a Nevada Athletic Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Joel Bekker and Nevada Athletic Commission Executive Director Jeff Mullen confirmed plans to take action against Minner for not disclosing an injury ahead of his fight against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, which he lost via first-round TKO.
Bekker acknowledged that an “injury occurred during training” and “that one had all kind of effects on betting lines.”
U.S. Integrity, a company that investigations suspicious betting behavior, launched an investigation after betting lines for the fight shifted dramatically in the hours leading up to the event. Minner ultimately suffered a TKO at just 67 seconds into the first round after it appeared he suffered some kind of injury to his leg following an early exchange with Nuerdanbieke.
“I believe we’re going to also take action against him for not disclosing the injury,” Bekker said during the meeting.
Details about the injury were not revealed.
Mullen confirmed plans to take action regarding the situation, which was first raised by acting Nevada Commission acting chair Staci Alonso, but there wasn’t enough time to inform all the parties and reach a potential adjudication agreement ahead of the planned meeting for November. It’s likely Minner’s situation will instead be addressed at the December meeting.
After betting lines for the fight changed, U.S. Integrity announced plans to investigate the situation. UFC officials later issued a statement denying any wrongdoing on the part of the fighters or their camps.
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” UFC officials said. “Our betting integrity partner, Don Best Sports, a leading global supplier of real-time betting data for North American sporting events, will conduct a thorough review of the facts and report its findings.
“At this time, we have no reason to believe either of the athletes involved in the bout, or anyone associated with their teams, behaved in an unethical or irresponsible manner.”
While U.S. Integrity is looking into the situation, the company holds no power to issue sanctions or punishment. The findings, however, can be reported to state officials, which could potentially result in actions being taken if there is any wrongdoing.
