Why the FBI Got Involved: UFC 324 Fight Pulled Hours Before Event Over Betting Scandal
Dana White confirmed the UFC scrapped a lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez from the UFC 324 card just hours before the event began on Saturday, marking the latest incident in a growing pattern of wagering concerns that have drawn federal scrutiny to the promotion.
UFC Pulls Fight Hours Before UFC 324 Following Betting Irregularities
The UFC 324 preliminary card fight was removed after the promotion received alerts from Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), its official betting integrity partner, about unusual wagering patterns detected in the hours leading up to the event. The decision came after several sportsbooks reported irregular betting activity and lowered market limits on the matchup, with some platforms opting to pull the fight entirely from their boards.
White addressed the cancellation during the post-fight press conference, stating he refused to repeat mistakes made during a previous betting scandal. “We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this s*** again,’ so we pulled the fight,” White told reporters. When asked about potential investigations, he confirmed the FBI remains actively involved in broader inquiries tied to UFC betting issues. “Yeah, I mean, the FBI is already, you know, deep into all this stuff anyway,” White said.
Industry sources indicated betting interest concentrated heavily on Johnson in early-finish proposition bets, according to multiple reports. The odds had shifted dramatically in the final 48 hours before the event, with Hernandez moving from a heavy favorite to nearly even money. BetOnline brand manager Dave Mason announced on social media that his platform would impose lower limits due to irregular patterns and would not offer prop bets on the bout.
The cancellation represents a different approach from the UFC’s handling of a previous incident involving featherweight Isaac Dulgarian in November 2025. In that case, the promotion allowed the fight to proceed despite receiving warnings from IC360 about unusual wagering patterns. Dulgarian, who entered as a significant favorite at around -250, lost to Yadier del Valle by first-round submission after his odds plummeted to as low as -130 in the hours before the bout. The UFC released Dulgarian immediately after the fight, and the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended him pending an FBI investigation that remains ongoing.
White met with the FBI multiple times following the Dulgarian incident and warned fighters that the promotion would pursue criminal charges against anyone involved in fight manipulation. “We will immediately go after you guns ablazing, with the FBI and whoever else we need to get, and we will do everything we can to make sure you go to prison,” White stated during a TMZ interview in November 2025.
The UFC has faced multiple wagering-related disputes in recent years, leading to strengthened enforcement regarding gambling policies. The promotion tightened its rules in October 2022 to prohibit fighters from betting on UFC events, and expanded those restrictions in January 2023 to include coaches, managers, trainers, and other insiders after the James Krause betting scandal. That incident involved fighter Darrick Minner, who failed to disclose a serious knee injury before his November 2022 bout with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. The Nevada Athletic Commission handed Minner a 29-month suspension and his teammate Jeff Molina a 36-month ban for placing bets with insider knowledge of the injury.
The UFC partnered with IC360 (formerly U.S. Integrity) in January 2023 to monitor all betting activity across UFC events and Dana White’s Contender Series. The promotion later adopted ProhiBet technology in September 2023, an encrypted platform designed to identify prohibited betting by UFC athletes, coaches, employees, and officials in compliance with state-specific regulations.
