Nevada Athletic Commission Suspends Two UFC Fighters for Betting Scheme

_{The Nevada Athletic Commission has suspended UFC fighters Jeff Molina (pictured) and Darrick Minner over a betting scandal linked to an undisclosed injury. (Image: Px Images / Alamy)}

The Nevada Athletic Commission handed multiyear suspensions to UFC flyweight Jeff Molina and former UFC featherweight Darrick Minner on Tuesday, both related to a betting scandal centered on Minner’s Nov. 5, 2022 fight.

Molina received a three-year suspension from the time of that fight, meaning it will expire on Nov. 5, 2025, while Minner earned a 29-month suspension that expired the day after the NAC decision, on March 26, 2025.

Suspicious Betting Leads to Investigation

In that November 2022 fight, Minner quickly lost to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. From the outset of the fight, Minner appeared to be struggling with a leg injury, and Nuerdanbieke ended the fight via strikes just over one minute into the first round.

The fight was quickly flagged by US Integrity due to unusual betting patterns and line movements. 

On Tuesday, the NAC found that Minner had “failed to disclose a serious injury he sustained to his knee” prior to the bout. Molina was charged with failing to disclose the injury and then putting a significant bet on the fight with knowledge of his teammate’s knee issue.

Molina has already been suspended since January 2023 due to what the NAC has classified as “substantial” involvement in a gambling scheme that involved his coach, James Krause. The UFC banned athletes from training with Krause weeks after the questionable fight, and federal authorities have since been looking into his gambling activities.

According to an ESPN report from January 2023, Krause had acted as an agent for an offshore sportsbook for years. While the UFC didn’t have a gambling policy prohibiting fighters and coaches from betting on bouts for much of its history, the promotion put such a policy in place in October 2022, just weeks before the Minner fight.

Molina Questions Double Standard Over UFC Betting

In a series of messages on X, Molina downplayed his role in any betting scheme and said he feels there’s a double standard when it comes to what some UFC fighters can get away with.

“I had wagers on both sides of the fight and my ‘significant’ bet was less than $500,” Molina wrote. 

“The only thing I’m guilty of was continuing to wager on fights after the UFC emailed us telling us to stop. Getting a 3-year suspension for continuing to bet two weeks after getting an email that said to stop is insane. [Conor] McGregor can post his million-dollar bet split every month on a main event as a fighter on the roster and no one blinks an eye.”

When another user suggested that Molina should get a lifetime ban for betting on his sport, which has happened to some other professional athletes, he argued that such a ban would be excessive.

“I made a mistake by continuing to wager no doubt, and 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 wrote. “The fact is a fighter fought injured which happens literally all the time and obviously word got out.”

When Molina’s suspension is completed, he will return to a promising MMA career. After losing two of his first three professional fights, Molina has reeled off 10 straight wins—including three in UFC competition — to run his record to 11-2 with four wins by knockout and four victories via submission.