In a controversy that has shaken the fight community, top MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has shed light on the brewing betting scandal that marred UFC Vegas 110. Isaac Dulgarian‘s first-round submission defeat against Yadier del Valle raised a lot of eyebrows. A fight that initially seemed pretty promising ended up causing suspicion of pre-fight betting patterns, but Helwani believes that Dana White and Co. could have handled the situation in a better way.

Ariel Helwani confirmed what others were talking about when it came to this betting activity, saying, “UFC was aware of this. They were made aware of it.” Here’s what the veteran journalist had to say.

The UFC should have canceled the fight after the warning signs

Ariel Helwani claims that Isaac Dulgarian was being questioned backstage after the UFC got news about the potential betting activity. However, the fighter maintained that everything was just fine. “Multiple times, he said that, according to my sources, that he was good to go, there was nothing of this sort happening, and you know, there was nothing to worry about,” said Helwani on his YouTube show.

Shifting his attention to how Dulgarian’s fight against Yadier del Valle panned out, Ariel Helwani revealed that people were surprised to see him lose. That’s because he’s been seen giving some of the best fighters from Denver a run for their money during sparring sessions. And just like the commentators, who had no idea about the betting activity, they also had similar reactions to seeing the fighter, who was a heavy favorite to win the fight, make the kind of errors he did during the matchup.

“I have been told that, in the gym, he goes up against some of the best fighters in the world… some of the top guys in that area… not only does he go toe to toe, but sometimes gets the better of them. And those same people had the same reaction that Daniel Cormier had, had the same reaction that Michael Chiesa had, which was, ‘What the hell is going on?'” Helwani further stated. “I know this for a fact, like, the broadcast team wasn’t aware… All of that [reaction] was genuine.”

Ariel Helwani claims that the UFC was better off making use of the information they received from the FBI. The promotion has not mentioned anything explicitly about Isaac Dulgarian, linking him to any illegal activity when they released him. They haven’t mentioned anything at all, which could be a move to draw the negative attention away. But the fact that the incident happened is going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons because the reports about it swirling on social media are indeed true.

“I believe that, in this case, the UFC should have just pulled the fight. What’s the point? Just pull the fight… To be clear, I don’t think the UFC had anything to do with any sort of nefarious activity. Nothing that has been said to me would suggest that in any way, shape, or form,” Helwani added. “If in fact he was in agreement to throw a fight, to work a fight, that should lead to a release, but still, it’s a stain on the company… My understanding is, this is on the FBI’s radar. How deep of an investigation is unclear at this point. This is all very new. But yes, it is accurate.”

As the story goes, just a few hours before the Dulgarian and del Valle fight went down, there was a dramatic shift in the betting line. Now that it has been established that an illicit activity was going on, the bookmakers have refunded the bets on this UFC fight.

Bookmakers issue refunds to bettors

So before the fight at UFC Vegas 110 went down, Isaac Dulgarian was listed as a -240 favorite, compared to Yadier del Valle, who was a +850 underdog. But slowly, the Cuban fighter’s line tightened and ended up being -160, while his opponent’s line shifted to +475. This massive swing led many sportsbooks, which included DraftKings among others, to remove the fight from the listing entirely.

However, not everybody paid back their bettors. Reportedly, only Caesars and William Hill issued refunds to the people who placed their money on the Dulgarian and del Valle fight. This happened especially because certain people on social media brought this unusual line shift as the fight was going on. And then the term ‘fixed’ was used to describe the matchup.

The FBI may be doing its investigative work, but fans are concerned as to why the head honcho of the UFC, Dana White, or any other executives haven’t issued any statements about the situation. Will the Nevada State Athletic Commission join the investigation? That remains unclear as of now. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.