UFC Fighter Under Investigation for Alleged Fight Fixing in Korea

A prominent UFC fighter is currently being investigated for fight fixing in Korea back in November of 2015. What does this mean?

Illegal match fixing has been a part of nearly every single professional sport in the world. While it was certainly more prominent a few decades ago, from time to time this dubious activity occasionally rears its head in the modern sports world.

The sport of MMA (in particular the UFC) has managed to avoid fight-fixing accusations over the years, but now South Korean gambling news has come out that lightweight fighter Tae Hyun Bang is being alleged of fight fixing in Korea back in November.

This investigation is on-going, and many details are still unknown to the public, but it casts a bad light on the sport of MMA, and could affect how online sports betting sites offer odds in the future.

What do we know so far?

According to most reports, Tae Hyun Bang was approached by a group who offered him roughly $88,000 to throw his fight against opponent Leo Kuntz. He allegedly accepted the offer, and made a personal bet of $44,000 on the opponent as well.

Most online sportsbooks in South Korea including NetBet Sportsbook listed Bang as the slight MMA betting favorite heading into the bout. As the massive bets were placed, Kuntz’s odds to win skyrocketed, prompting UFC officials to approach both fighters for questioning.

The meeting with the UFC seemed to be enough for Bang to change his mind on the fight fixing in Korea, as he battled his way to split-decision win. He claimed to receive death threats immediately after, and is now being detained by Korean police.

More news on the fight fixing in Korea will likely come out in the next few months. It’s a dark moment in the sport, but the media coverage and likely punishments handed down to all involved may be enough to dissuade any fighters from doing the same in the future.

If you want to bet on MMA in South Korea, make sure to check out NetBet Sportsbook for a full list of odds for upcoming events!