UFC fighters Jeff Molina and Darrick Minner banned for betting irregularities in 2022 bout

IMAGO: James Krause, who has coached both Jeff Molina and Darrick Minner, is also currently under investigation for suspicious betting activity.

UFC fighters Jeff Molina and Darrick Minner have been banned for their part in a betting scheme. 

Minner has been banned for 29 months for failing to disclose a serious injury while Molina faces three years away from the octagon for betting against Minner and failing to report the injury. 

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Having suffered a serious knee injury in a previous bout, Darrick Minner failed to inform the UFC of his injury when he fought Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on 5 November 2022. 

The injury had a direct impact on the fight result with Nuerdanbieke quickly dispatching Minner in the first round. 

Molina knew of the injury to his teammate before the bout and failed to report the injury. He also admitted to having placed what the Nevada Athletic Commission describes as a “significant bet” on the result of the bout.

The fight was flagged for suspicious betting activity by US Integrity, leading to an investigation of the fighters and coaches involved. 

Both fighters were effectively suspended from fighting immediately following the fight in 2022, and any suspension was set to be backdated. 

Following the investigation, it was determined that Minner was guilty of not declaring his injury when filling in a pre-match injury questionnaire. He received a 29-month suspension, which meant he was able to return to the octagon this week. 

Molina, however, was found guilty of not reporting the injury and for placing a significant bet on the outcome of the fight. He received a three-year suspension until 5 November 2025, but will be able to fight again as of 26 March 2025.

There had been calls for Molina to face a lifetime ban, despite him admitting to the violation, but that never came to fruition. 

Following the announcement of the suspension, Molina said, in a series of posts on X: 

“I wagered on the entire card. It’s how I made extra money on the side when I wasn’t fighting and all I do is watch fights. I had wagers on both sides of the fight and my ‘significant’ bet was less than $500.” 

He went on to say: “What I completely disagree with is saying I deserve a ‘lifetime ban’ for my $350 wagers I had on the entire card.” 

While saying of the suspension “A three year suspension is beyond suffice but acting like 23 year old me was this fight fixing mastermind making millions of dollars is comical.”

Molina had enjoyed a decent record before his suspension, with the flyweight having won 11 of his 13 fights, including four by knockout and four by submission.

Minner has yet to comment on his suspension, and so too has coach James Krause. Krause has coached both fighters and an investigation is continuing into his alleged involvement in a betting scandal too. 

The UFC has already prohibited fighters from training at Krause’s gym and he cannot be used as a cornerman for fights. 

The fighter-turned-coach has not commented on the investigation and the Nevada Athletic Commission continues to investigate the allegations.