Johnson v Hernandez UFC fight pulled because of irregular betting
A scheduled bout on the UFC 324 early preliminary card was quietly removed on Saturday night after irregular betting activity was flagged, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed following the event.
The lightweight fight between Michael Johnson and Alex Hernandez was pulled shortly before it was due to take place, after the promotion was alerted by its gaming integrity service.
White said the decision was taken immediately to avoid further controversy, declining to provide details on the nature of the betting activity or whether either fighter was suspected of wrongdoing.
“We got called from the gaming integrity service and I said, ‘I’m not doing this again,’ so we pulled the fight,” White said.
The cancellation comes amid heightened scrutiny of betting integrity in mixed martial arts following several high-profile cases. In November 2025, Isaac Dulgarian was released by the UFC after unusual betting patterns emerged ahead of his upset loss to Yadier del Valle, a case that remains under investigation by the FBI and the Nevada Athletic Commission.
The commission has also previously handed down multi-year suspensions to fighters Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina over suspicious wagering linked to a 2022 bout. With legal sports betting expanding across the United States, combat sports regulators and promoters continue to face growing pressure to monitor and respond swiftly to integrity risks.
