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A fight scheduled for the early preliminary card of UFC 324 was quietly canceled Saturday night, but UFC CEO Dana White confirmed irregular betting activity was the cause.
White told reporters after the fights, where in the main event Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblitt, that the lightweight battle between Michael Johnson and Alex Hernandez was removed from the card due to the notice he received from the promotion’s game integrity service.
“We got a call from game integrity and I said, ‘I’m not doing this again,’ so we pulled the fight,” White said, according to Yahoo Sports.
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Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez appear at the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
White did not add details about what the irregularities were nor which wrestler, if any, was suspected of causing the irregularity.
But it’s clear that White wasn’t trying to deal with another controversy after last year’s fight with Isaac Dulgarian.
UFC CUT FIGHTER AFTER ‘UNUSUAL’ BETTING ACTIVITY BY SPORTS BOOKING FLAG ON HIS FIRST ROUND LOSS
Dulgarian was removed from the UFC roster after a serious loss to Yadier del Valle in November 2025. There was some strange betting activity before the fight, where Dulgarian went from -250 to -154 to win the match.
When he lost, commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa were confused about what was happening, as they called Del Valle’s finish “white belt stuff”, believing it wasn’t the most complicated thing.
Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The FBI and the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) are also continuing their investigation into Dulgarian.
What makes Dulgarian’s situation more interesting is his comments about his belief that fighters should receive a cut of the bets on fights.
“I told him, ‘Don’t bet on me unless you pay me some percentage.’ I’m doing all the work, that’s how I feel,” Dulgarian told MMA Junkie. “…If you bet on me, I want some of that.”
In addition to Dulgarian, Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina were suspended for three years by the NAC for a 2022 fight that had suspicious betting activity involving Minner.
UFC CEO and President Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
Since sports betting is legal in the United States, there have unfortunately been moments like these in several leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
