In short, UFC flyweight Jeff Molina doesn’t believe his punishment fits the crime.
On Tuesday, Molina and former UFC featherweight Darrick Minner received multiyear suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission for their roles in an illegal betting scheme involving former UFC fighter and coach James Krause. Molina and Minner were teammates at Krause’s Glory MMA gym in Missouri.
Authorities were tipped off by suspicious betting line movement leading up to Minner’s loss to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in November 2022. During the fight, Minner was quickly hindered by a leg injury before losing by TKO due to strikes. A federal investigation revealed that Minner fought with a serious knee injury, which Molina had knowledge of and wagered on the fight.
The NAC suspended Minner 29 months after he “failed to disclose a serious injury he sustained to his knee” prior to the bout. Molina received a three-year suspension for failing to disclose Minner’s injury and then willingly placing a significant bet on the fight.
After receiving his punishment, Molina, in response to a user on X, called it “insane” while highlighting that UFC star Conor McGregor often flaunts his bets on social media without action being taken against him.
“My words were twisted here,” Molina wrote in a series of tweets. “I wagered on the entire card. It’s how I made extra money on the side when I wasn’t fighting and all I do is watch fights. I had wagers on both sides of the fight and my ‘significant’ bet was less than $500. The only thing I’m guilty of was continuing to wager on fights after the UFC emailed us telling us to stop. Getting a 3-year suspension for continuing to bet two weeks after getting an email that said to stop is insane. McGregor can post his million dollar bet slip every month on a main event as a fighter on the roster and no one blinks an eye. Def a double standard there.”
Molina took umbrage with the user’s suggestion that he should face a lifetime ban from the UFC, which isn’t uncommon for other major pro sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, which infamously banned Pete Rose for life and has kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame for decades.
“What I completely disagree with is saying I deserve a ‘lifetime ban’ for my $350 wagers I had on the entire card,” Molina wrote. “I made a mistake by continuing to wager no doubt and a 3 yr suspension is beyond suffice, but acting like 23-year-old me was this fight fixing mastermind making millions of dollars is comical. The fact is a fighter fought injured which happens literally all the time and obviously word got out.”
Molina’s suspension is retroactive and expires November 5, 2025.
When he resumes his career, Molina will try to extend his winning streak to 11 fights. He most recently won a split decision against Zhalgas Zhumagulov on June 4, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 207.
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