UFC has banned fighters from betting on fights per new policy

June 6, 2020; Las Vegas, NV, USA; A general view of the octagon prior to UFC 250 at the UFC APEX. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports

Packers: Matt LaFleur’s response to Aaron Rodgers is a cry for help by Mark Powell

UFC has banned fighters from betting on fights per a new policy.

According to a change in the UFC fighter athlete conduct policy, athletes are no longer allowed to bet on fights, even when they are not involved.

“UFC fighters are now prohibited from gambling on any UFC fight, regardless of if they are involved or not. They can still be sponsored just not allowed to bet at all,” Helwani tweeted along with screenshots of the new policy.

UFC just issued this memo to fighters and managers regarding a change in their athlete conduct policy:

UFC fighters are now prohibited from gambling on any UFC fight, regardless of if they are involved or not. They can still be sponsored just not allowed to bet at all. pic.twitter.com/6zhuIITxmx

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 17, 2022

The entire policy can be found here.

This could be damaging to several fighters who have posted publicly about the income they make from betting on fights, which is perfectly legal so long as they are not betting on themselves to lose.

Jeff Molina, who posts his bets often, shared the announcement with the woozy face emoji.

This news isn’t exactly new to sports. Betting on games is prohibited in most major sporting leagues and some athletes have faced serious repercussions for doing so. MLB player Pete Rose was banned from baseball for 25 years for betting on the team he was coaching, to win.

“I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team,” Rose said on ESPN Radio in 2007. “I did everything in my power every night to win that game.”

The ban is still highly controversial to this day.

UFC. fighters have been outspoken about betting and have openly spoken about it to FanSided on the Jab, Cross, Hook Podcast. In this episode, Molina talks openly about himself and James Krause having a betting chat before each event.