UFC cancels Hernandez Johnson fight after suspicious betting activity emerges

The UFC canceled a lightweight match between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson at the last minute due to suspicious betting activity.

While the UFC didn’t immediately give a reason for canceling the bout just hours before it was due to start on Saturday, January 24, the organization’s CEO Dana White confirmed at a news conference that it was due to suspicious betting activity. This comes only a few months after the UFC faced match-fixing claims last year.

“It happened again,” White said at the media event, as shared on X by stats analyst Jed Goodman. “We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this s*** again.’ So we pulled the fight.”

Dana White says Hernandez/Johnson being pulled was due to a wagering flag:

We got called from the Gaming Integrity service and I said I'm not doing this shit again, so we pulled the fight. pic.twitter.com/pvny355GtT

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 25, 2026

“The FBI is already deep into this stuff anyway,” he added when asked about any potential investigation. “I’m sure this one will be next.”

White didn’t confirm whether Hernandez and Johnson would be out of action pending an investigation. His reference to the FBI there seems to suggest that the FBI will be looking into these latest allegations of suspicious betting activity as part of its investigation into the aforementioned major betting scandal surrounding a bout between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle.

Dana White is asked a follow up question about the cancelled fight. pic.twitter.com/LzlUriIyRo

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 25, 2026

This saw the UFC come under scrutiny for not canceling a fight in November, despite suspicious gambling movement flagged by sports betting watchdog Integrity Compliance 360. This was followed by bout favorite Dulgarian losing the fight under suspicious circumstances.

The UFC’s stance on match fixing

When the allegations first came to light last year, White took a hard-line stance on match-fixing, saying in an interview with TMZ: “If you try to do this (match fixing for financial gain), we will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you, guns ablazing with the FBI and anyone else we need to get to make sure you go to prison.”

This most recent incident marks the third federal investigation into alleged suspicious gambling activity in the UFC, with former fighter and coach James Krause landing a suspension in 2023 after a bout involving one of his students was surrounded with unusual betting activity.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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