The UFC released one of its featherweight fighters following a wave of suspicious betting activity surrounding his fight at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Ariel Helwani reported that Isaac Dulgarian’s removal from the UFC roster came just hours after his first-round loss to Yadier del Valle, citing UFC sources who described the move as performance-related.
“Isaac Dulgarian, who was submitted last night by Yadier del Valle, has been released by the UFC, sources say,” Helwani wrote. “He was released today. The official reason was attributed to last night’s loss.”
Helwani noted that the fight had become the focus of controversy after betting lines shifted dramatically before the bout.
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“However, the bout has been the center of controversy after a ton of money started to come in on Dulgarian, a sizable favorite, to lose in the first, which is what happened,” Helwani added.
Last weekend, Dulgarian opened as a -240 favorite, per MMA Mania, but heavy late action flipped odds in Del Valle’s favor, prompting several sportsbooks to pull wagers entirely.
According to MMA Mania, DraftKings, Caesars and William Hill issued refunds following irregular prop bets that predicted a first-round finish.
Dulgarian’s record with the promotion ends at 2-2, with wins over Francis Marshall in 2023 and Brendon Marotte in 2024. He lost bouts against Christian Rodriguez in 2024 and Del Valle on Saturday.
UFC commentator Michael Chiesa, however, already noted and criticized Dulgarian’s performance, calling it “absolute trash” during the ESPN+ broadcast of the event, questioning how such a highly touted wrestler could be submitted so easily.
“If you’re on the main card of a UFC, it’s one thing if you kind of get punched into submission, but a lot of Day 1 mistakes,” Chiesa said. “You can even hear on the broadcast like, ‘What is this guy doing?’ … I’m sitting here on the pre-show hyping you up as a guy that can go into the top five and win fights, and it doesn’t even look like you can fight someone that’s in the bottom of the top 500.
“I’ve got to be honest here. That was an ‘F–’ performance. It was absolute trash.”
This marks the second time in recent years that the UFC has faced scrutiny over suspicious wagering tied to one of its bouts. Back in 2022, similar activity triggered investigations involving Darrick Minner, which resulted in multiple suspensions by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
For now, no formal accusations have been made, and the official line remains that Dulgarian’s release was performance-based.