According to a Korean news outlet, former UFC lightweight Tae Hyun Bang has been indicted accused of match-fixing. Korean prosecutors have filed charges against the MMA fighter stemming from a fight in 2016 in South Korea.
Bang is accused of taking a bribe of almost $88,000 if he lost his fight to Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in November 2015. However, according to a swing in betting lines, UFC officials warned Bang prior to the fight of match-fixing. Bang won via split decision and according to the report, he changed his mind in fixing the fight. Bang was the favorite at the time of the fight but a last minute swing in odds made him into a massive underdog.
According to MMA Junkie, Bang received death threats from organized crime figures that had bet on him losing the fight to Kuntz. Junkie also notes that Bang denied knowledge of match-fixing.
This is not the first time in recent memory that the UFC has been the subject to possible match fixing. In Sydney, Australia at UFC 193 in November 2015, there were concerns of corruption on the card. Recall, this was the Holly Holm-Ronda Rousey main event. There were concerns by gambling authorities of “irregularities.”
Payout Perspective:
There is no timeline on Bang’s legal issues in South Korea. However, gambling and the UFC are tied together considering the use of betting lines when discussing and previewing fights. It’s likely fixing fights will not occur on main events where everyone is looking at the betting lines. Rather, it would happen with smaller, less scrutinized bouts where most are not eyeing the betting. Key to this is the fact that the fighters are likely not making money and a lucrative bribe would be considered more than a fighter making more than the minimum 10K and 10K. It will be interesting to see if the UFC attempts to monitor match-fixing more in the future.
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