Bellator president Scott Coker releases statement on James Krause's ban
James Krause has been banned from coaching UFC fighters and participating in UFC events after suspicious betting patterns were reported during UFC Fight Night 214 last month.
The UFC also stated that any fighter who continues to train with James Krause will be banned from UFC events. As the head coach of prestigious gym Glory MMA and Fitness, this means that pro fighters from Bellator, UFC and other big promotions will be without a coach.
Bellator has not released an official statement regarding their plan of action going forward. But current CEO of the promotion Scott Coker did release a statement of his own, as reported by MMA journalist Nolan King:
"Regulatory agencies have taken action that they deem necessary to ensure that any appearance of impropriety is removed from our sport, and I support those actions. Bellator MMA is a promotion that highly values the importance of independent regulation of our sport, and we will continue to abide by the mandates of the regulatory bodies which sanction and oversee our events."
See the statement below:
Scott Coker just released a statement on behalf of Bellator pertaining to the recent developments of the James Krause investigation. https://t.co/CvnhxUPHWi
Scott Coker appears to be willing to comply with the various state commissions that are involved in the investigation. James Krause recently had his license suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission until the investigation has concluded.
Krause's ban stems from a fight that took place at UFC Fight Night 214. Glory MMA and Fitness fighter Darrick Minner faced off against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, with Nuerdanbieke a -220 favorite before the event.
However, there was a massive increase in bets placed on Nuerdanbieke to win the fight in the first round from the time the event started until their fight. This moved his betting line to -420, alerting betting agencies of the inconsistency.
'Wolverine' then proceeded to win the fight via first-round TKO after Minner hurt his leg in the first exchange of the fight. It was further disclosed that Krause's fighter entered the cage with an existing injury.
James Krause also provides a subscription-based service on Discord where he shares betting tips and predictions. The MMA fighter-turned-coach also recently admitted on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that he makes more money betting than from his MMA career.
UFC CBO Hunter Campbell releases further statement following James Krause incident
Chief Business Officer of the UFC Hunter Campbell released a statement in October which notified UFC fighters that they were now unable to bet on UFC fights. The policy also applies to fighters' coaches and managers.
Following the James Krause-betting scandal, Campbell released a further statement, as reported by Ariel Helwani.
It was made clear in Campbell's statement that Darrick Minner had been released from the UFC and that any fighter who continues to work with Krause would be banned.
See the statement below:
Full statement from Campbell, which was just released to all UFC fighters and their camps: https://t.co/Xk05Yoc66x