UFC Statement Regarding James Krause
pic.twitter.com/MDB2tbVu2J— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman)
December 2, 2022
Fighter-turned-coach James
Krause has gone from a well-respected name to one who can no
longer train fighters in a very short amount of time.
On Friday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship released a pair
of statements – one from UFC chief business officer Hunter
Campbell to fighters
and their teams, and the other in a public
release – to further explain the steps taken regarding the
irregular betting activity surrounding
UFC Fight Night 214. At that November event at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas, Darrick
Minner vs. Nuerdanbieke
Shayilan saw some unusual betting activity within hours of the
match, and Minner succumbed to an injury that led to a quick TKO
loss. Sportsbooks turned to the Nevada State Athletic Commission
and betting firm U.S. Integrity to review the matter, in which the
former suspended the license of Minner’s coach, Krause.
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Krause runs acclaimed team Glory MMA & Fitness, which trains a
litany of professional fighters including several on the UFC
roster. Per the promotion, any fighter that trains with Krause
directly or at Glory MMA in any capacity will not be allowed to
compete at UFC fight cards for the indeterminate future.
Additionally, Minner has been released from the UFC altogether.
According to TSN,
UFC fighter Marcelo
Rojo, who is booked on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando,
Fla., will still be allowed to fight, even though he shifted his
training camp to Glory MMA. Several other Glory-affiliated athletes
including Jeff
Molina, David
Onama, Isaac
Dulgarian and even ex-champ
Brandon
Moreno have fights booked in the coming months, and it is not
clear how those will play out.
The New Jersey Division of Gambling Enforcement
blocked any bets from fighters involving Krause or his team
recently, in accordance with the investigation. The UFC, and the
aforementioned New Jersey department, clarified that the suspension
involving Krause is pending the outcome of the investigations.
The prohibition of betting on Krause fights was a small decision
compared to the one made on Thursday by the
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario in Canada. There, the
AGCO blocked all betting on UFC events for the foreseeable future,
due to concerns about betting integrity and suspicious activity
around this match and others currently under review. On Friday, the
province of Alberta, and its Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis
commission, followed suit with Ontario’s decision, per TSN,
and all UFC bets have been canceled and the money has been returned
to the bettors.
The official
UFC statement reads as follows:
Following the fight involving Darrick
Minner on November 5, 2022, UFC was informed by sources that
suspicious betting patterns had been observed on the fight. In the
weeks following the fight, UFC has been cooperating with multiple
ongoing government investigations into the facts and circumstances
surrounding that contest. On November 18, the Nevada State Athletic
Commission informed UFC and Minner’s coach, James
Krause, that Krause’s license was suspended and would remain so
while NSAC conducted an investigation into the matter. UFC has
since advised Krause and the respective managers working with
impacted fighters, that effective immediately, fighters who choose
to continue to be coached by Krause or who continue to train in his
gym, will not be permitted to participate in UFC events pending the
outcome of the aforementioned government investigations. Further,
UFC has released Darrick
Minner from the organization.
Along with the safety and health of its fighters, UFC believes
there is no more important component of professional mixed martial
arts than the integrity of the sport. Weeks prior to the Minner
fight, the organization sent formal notification to all fighters
and members of their teams that they and certain other defined
“insiders” were prohibited from wagering on UFC events. This was an
extension of UFC’s pre-existing (and since updated) fighter Code of
Conduct as well as a recognition of various state, federal, and
international laws and regulations expressly prohibiting conduct
that threatens the integrity of the sport including, but not
limited to, insider betting based on non-public information,
fight-fixing, and other such misconduct. UFC will continue to take
all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure compliance with and
enforcement of its policies and those of the jurisdictions in which
it operates.