UFC fight under investigation for 'suspicious' betting

Sportsbooks reportedly contacted U.S. Integrity that night. While exact details of the investigation can not be disclosed just yet, it has been revealed that betting on Nuerdanbieke to win in the first round didn't stop even as the odds became less appealing.

"Our goal as always is to notify the industry of any potential nefarious, abnormal or suspicious activity as soon as possible, so they can take action as quickly as possible," Matthew Holt, president of U.S. Integrity, told ESPN. "In this case, we hope that by sending a couple hours before the fight started, we may have helped prevent some more suspicious bets from getting through."

The UFC announced in October that fighters and their teams are prohibited from wagering on the sport, so for such a suspicious instance to occur less than a month later is even more noticeable. 

In a statement released on Monday, the league said it doesn't believe — at least, not at this time — that either fighter played a role in the odd betting situation.

"Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events," the statement read. "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."

A source familiar with the fighters told ESPN that Minner's knee was injured before the fight. Some bookmakers told ESPN that news of his injury leaked in those few hours prior to the fight, while others have reportedly said he threw the fight in the first round. To make the situation even more interesting, Minner is coached by former fighter and known gambler James Krause, who has a podcast that gives betting tips. Krause could not be reached for comment about the investigation.