The MMA world was recently shocked by the James Krause betting controversy, which landed the former fighter-turned-coach in hot water.
Krause acted as an intermediary or agent between an offshore sportsbook and bettors as early as 2019. In this capacity, Krause provided bookmakers with a credit line and login credentials.
According to sources, these gamblers placed wagers on the offshore wagering site and paid Krause directly through Venmo or PayPal. According to reports, Krause also offered bookmakers compensation for referring additional gamblers to him.
Sam Hughes opens up on the matter
At UFC 287, women’s strawweight contender Sam Hughes scored a unanimous decision victory over Jaqueline Amorim (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Following her victory, she addressed the media and appeared to admit to an insider betting tip.
Hughes stated that her boyfriend had bet $1000 on her to win, despite the fact that the rule explicitly prohibits fighters, coaches, team members, or family members from betting on fights in the promotion.
MMA fans were concerned for Hughes considering she might face some ramifications for this. One fan wrote:
Another fan claimed that Hughes should backtrack from her statement and just dismiss it as a prank:
“She needs to tweet out immediately that her boyfriend was just pranking her and that he didn’t bet on her.”
