Suspended UFC coach was a middleman for offshore gambling site: report

A suspended mixed martial arts coach has acted as an agent for an offshore gambling site, according to a report.

James Krause was suspended on Nov. 18 following suspicious line movements in a fight involving one of his students — and it turns out that Krause was a middleman for an offshore sportsbook, people who allegedly placed bets with him told ESPN.

Krause was an agent for a Costa Rica-based online sportsbook, and he provided bettors with a line of credit and log-in information.

Multiple government agencies are investigating a Nov. 5 fight between Darrick Minner, coached by Krause, and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke after Minner became a huge betting underdog just hours before the fight. Both legal and illegal sportsbooks saw unusual betting interest on Minner to lose in the first round and for the fight to go less than 2.5 rounds. He lost by TKO just over a minute into the fight.

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Both Krause and Minner were suspended for failing to disclose an injury on Minner’s prefight medical questionnaire. Minner later said he had a minor knee injury, but doctors later revealed he had torn ligaments.

UFC did not prohibit fighters or their teams betting on fights, including their own, until October.

Krause has been open about his gambling, telling “The MMA Hour” podcast that he bets on “just about every fight.” He provides betting tips in a Discord where he has about 2,000 subscribers. His betting podcast has been broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.

Krause went 9-4 in his UFC career that lasted from 2013 to 2020.