UFC Bans James Krause and Glory MMA, Fitness Fighters
The UFC has come down hard on Glory MMA and Fitness head coach James Krause amidst an investigation into his gambling practices. The situation has reached a new high. Previously, Krause was suspended from coaching, but that has been expanded to his fighters. The UFC announced that fighters that are coached or trained by James Krause are not permitted to fight in the UFC.
Krause currently has an impressive roster of MMA fighters that he trains at Glory MMA and Fitness. Headlining the group is UFC interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
Every fighter that Krause trains will have to switch camps. That is far harder than it sounds. Logistically, Glory MMA and Fitness is located in Missouri. In that region, there are not a lot of great MMA gyms. It is not close to any MMA hotbed like Nevada, Florida, New York, or Colorado. These fighters will have to completely relocate to comply with this rule. That will be a challenge for prelim-level fighters.
Marcel Rojo, who is scheduled to fight at UFC Orlando, was given an exception because the announcement came a day prior to his fight.
This move comes in the middle of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s investigation into a fight between Darrick Minner, one of Krause’s fighters, and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Vegas 64. Essentially, the issue with this fight was that there was heavy action that came in late on Nuerdanbieke that pushed the line from -220 to -368 in minutes, according to Best Fight Odds. In the fight, Minner lost via TKO after getting injured in the first minute of the bout. Afterward, it was releveled that Minner did not disclose the injury heading into the fight.
Obviously, there is something fishy going on. The common belief is that Krause bet against Minner or advised someone to, knowing that he would lose due to the injury. The NSAC investigation into the issue should reveal more information.
Krause has made his presence in MMA betting known. In an episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Krause claimed to make more money betting on fights than he did coaching. He also added that he has a betting discord and has bet on fighters that he was coaching.
In addition, Krause had a YouTube channel called The 1% Club where he made betting breakdowns for UFC cards. However, the channel is no longer public.
This series of events has led some commissions to question the integrity of the sport. In Canada, Alberta and Ontario have banned UFC betting. Those are two of the largest providences in Canada. As a result, more providences may follow suit.
The UFC has worked towards legitimacy for a long time. For those that do not remember, the sport of MMA is new and the UFC is far younger than most sports leagues. At many points, it looked like UFC would become corrupted by mobs. It happened to PRIDE FC and it was an issue in boxing. However, the UFC helped the sport become reputable and popular. Now, a handful of people have raised some questions regarding that legitimacy.
There will be more to come out about this story. It is likely that more commissions and sportsbooks take action to prevent illegal betting. Meanwhile, the UFC will work to establish a policy to help counteract that. They have already made a rule that prevents fighters or anyone else with inside information from betting. This move against Krause and his fighters strengthens that position. Lastly, the investigations into Krause will only provide more information on the issue.
For Krause, this will likely end his career in MMA. The former fighter made the transition to coaching full-time after his retirement. Krause’s fall from glory is a shame as he demonstrated that he had the ability to be one of the better coaches in the sport.
