UFC CEO confirms fight cancellation for suspicious betting
Just hours before the UFC event on January 24, 2026, the fight between lightweight Michael Johnson and Alex Hernandez was cancelled because of suspicious betting activity, as confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White.
Initially, the reason behind the cancellation wasn’t disclosed; however, White later confirmed to reporters that the matchup was pulled due to a report of betting irregularities.
White commented:
“Yeah, it happened again. That’s what it is. We got a call from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this again.’ So we pulled the fight. The FBI is already deep into this stuff, so I am sure this one will be next.”
The head of UFC also mentioned that he doesn’t know if the two fighters would be suspended or not.
In November 2025, the UFC was in the middle of a betting scandal as well, when Isaac Dulgarian lost the fight against Yadier del Valle after sportsbooks flagged suspicious betting ahead of the match. Dulgarian dropped from a -250 favorite to -154 right before the fight and is still under investigation by the FBI and the Nevada Athletic Commission.
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