Turns out UFC Abu Dhabi wasn’t the worst of the scrutiny in store for referee Jason Herzog this year. Last weekend’s UFC Vegas 110, which was supposed to pass by with a rather lukewarm response, continues to grow into a shadow of the 2022 James Krause controversy. But this time, the fighter isn’t the only one facing the heat.

After the main card matchup between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier Del Valle ended in betting allegations, MMA journalist Harry Mac claimed that over 100 fights were being flagged by the FBI. Additionally, he would also note that there was a possibility that the fights specifically refereed by Herzog were being looked into. But for those riding on the claims, Herzog has a message.

“Probably more fun to just Troll them,” he said when an X user asked if he was considering taking legal action against those accusing him of fixing fights.

With Del Valle making only his second UFC appearance and much growing to do, oddmakers had bet it all on Issac Dulgarian. And as expected of the tested fighter, he was the first to press the action on the Fight Night. But when Del Valle turned the tables and handed the American his first submission loss of his career, all hell broke loose.

It wasn’t that the Cuban was incapable of defeating Dulgarian. The fight was predicted to be his if he had sustained the opening onslaught, and it transpired as much. But what brought on the betting suspicions was an unusual amount of money being poured into Del Valle ahead of the fight despite him being an underdog. Caught in the crossfire, of course, was the referee.

Having been in the position for over two decades, Herzog has had his ups and downs. Just this past July, scrutiny flew in from all sides when he did not step in sooner during Steven Nguyen’s record eight knockdowns against Mohammad Yahya. Then there was the eye poke incident between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong, this past February at UFC Fight Night 252, where Herzog had allowed the fight to resume despite a foul.

So he is aware of the position he is in, calling it the ‘hot seat’. He also accepts “some of decisions could have or should have been different. That’s fine to a point.” But as of now, the fixing allegations against him don’t seem to have a solid base.

Apart from Mac’s claims on the FBI’s involvement, no verified sources have reported on the developments yet. But the Dulgarian vs Del Valle has continued to draw scrutiny, and amplified the calls. While UFC has yet to release any statement about the fixing allegations, they did take some serious action.

UFC releases Isaac Dulgarian

Dana White and Co. are certainly hearing what the UFC fans have had to say about the UFC Vegas 110 debacle because they took a drastic step. Isaac Dulagarian was the favorite to beat Yadier Del Valle last weekend, as the oddsmakers placed his opponent as the underdog. But the fact that he lost in a sketchy fashion may not have set well with the executives, because Ariel Helwani claims the promotion quietly parted ways with Dulgarian.

“The official reason was attributed to last night’s loss. However, the bout has been the center of controversy after a ton of money started to come in on Dulgarian, a sizable favorite, to lose in the first, which is what happened,” Helwani wrote on X.

Well, it may look like Isaac Dulgarian has been released because he lost his fight last week, but given the betting irregularity and the fact that several sportsbooks, including Caesars, William Hill, and DraftKings all provided refunds to bettors, few believe that to be the sole reason.