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A fight scheduled for the first preliminary card of UFC 324 was quietly canceled Saturday night, but UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that irregular betting activity was the cause.
White told reporters after the fights, where the main event saw Justin Gaethje upset Paddy Pimblitt, that the lightweight battle between Michael Johnson and Alex Hernandez was removed from the card due to advice he received from the promotion’s gaming integrity department.
“We got called by the gaming integrity department and I said, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore,’ so we broke up the fight,” White said, according to Yahoo Sports.
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Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez appear at the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
White did not add details about the irregularities or which fighter, if any, was suspected of instigating the irregularity.
But it’s clear White wasn’t trying to deal with another controversy after last year’s Isaac Dulgarian fight.
UFC CUTS FIGHTER’S ‘UNUSUAL’ BETTING ACTIVITY AFTER SPORTSBOOK FLAG ON HIS FIRST ROUND LOSS
Dulgarian was dropped from the UFC roster after a serious loss to Yadier del Valle in November 2025. There was some strange betting activity before the fight, where Dulgarian went from -250 to -154 to win the match.
When he lost, commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa didn’t understand what was happening, as they called Del Valle’s finish “white belt stuff”, believing it wasn’t the most complicated stuff.
Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The FBI and Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) are also continuing their investigation into Dulgarian.
What makes Dulgarian’s situation more interesting are his comments about his belief that fighters should get a cut of the betting on fights.
“I said, ‘Don’t bet on me unless you pay me a percentage.’ I do all the work, that’s how I feel,” Dulgarian told MMA Junkie. “…If you bet on me, I want some.”
In addition to Dulgarian, Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina were hit with three-year suspensions by the NAC for a 2022 fight featuring suspicious betting activity involving Minner.
UFC CEO and President Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
With sports betting legal in the United States, there have unfortunately been moments like these in several leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
