'Not Doing This S--t,' Dana White Cancels Johnson-Hernandez UFC 324 Fight over Suspicious Betting
UFC president Dana White confirmed suspicious betting patterns were behind the decision to scrap the planned fight between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson at UFC 324 on Saturday.
"We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, 'I'm not doing this s--t again,'" White told reporters after the show. "So, we pulled the fight."
The UFC is only months removed from a betting scandal surrounding Isaac Dulgarian's first-round submission defeat to Yadier del Valle.
ESPN's David Purdum reported on Nov. 3 the UFC released Dulgarian after its betting integrity partner had flagged "abnormal activity" on markets prior to the fight. Del Valle was the underdog yet received "large bets" on him to win.
Dulgarian has denied any wrongdoing.
The exact circumstances behind Saturday's cancellation remain unclear. White said he expects the FBI to get involved.
Hernandez is 18-8 and riding a four-fight winning streak. He earned a second-round TKO victory over Diego Ferreira in his last appearance this past September. Johnson is 24-19 for his career, last winning a unanimous decision over Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 318 in July.
