"The lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez is a last minute scratch from Saturday's UFC 324. News of the bout's cancellation was announced mid-afternoon, Eastern time, on Saturday. Promotion officials offered a brief statement via the official UFC website, stating only that "The lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez has been canceled from tonight's event." However, in the hours before the bout's cancellation was announced, concern around betting irregularities in connection to the fight had been made public."
"BetOnline.ag, for one, announced Saturday that "Due to some irregular betting patterns, we will be keeping the limits lower than usual on tonight's Michael Johnson vs Alex Hernandez bout. Additionally, there will not be props on this fight." A BetOnline rep added that "This is a standard measure, not a judgement on the fight's integrity, possible injury, etc. However, to protect both the bettors and the house, we will err on the side of caution. If you choose to bet this fight: ALL BETS HAVE ACTION.""
"Betting irregularities have kicked off a pair of scandals in recent years. The first saw concerning betting action in the Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke fight at UFC Vegas 64 in 2022. Minner's coach, James Krause, was later found to be working for an off-shore sportsbook, and linked to allegations of leaking injury info about Minner, who went down early in the fight. Jeff Molina, a student of Krause (himself a UFC fighter) at Glory MMA and Fitness, as well as Krause himself and Minner, were all banished by the promotion and suspended by the NSAC."
The Michael Johnson vs Alexander Hernandez lightweight bout was removed from UFC 324 on short notice. UFC officials issued a brief statement confirming the cancellation with no further detail. Betting-monitoring firm BetOnline lowered betting limits and removed props due to irregular betting patterns, stressing the move was precautionary and that all bets would have action. Past betting irregularities have prompted major disciplinary actions, including bans and suspensions tied to the Darrick Minner incident and James Krause's alleged sportsbook involvement. No criminal charges have been announced in those prior cases. A separate fighter release occurred after a contested loss in 2025.
Read at Cageside Press
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