MMA Coach Worked As Middleman for Offshore Sportsbook, per Report

New information came to light on Thursday regarding the betting activities of suspended MMA coach and ex-UFC fighter Jerry Krause, who’s the subject of an ongoing federal investigation for suspicious betting activity within UFC.

Krause, 36, has been away from the sport for nearly two months after receiving a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Nov. 18 in connection with a bout involving one of his fighters, Darrick Minner. Now, according to a report from ESPN, Krause, who has well-documented ties in the world of online sports betting, also served as a middleman, or “agent,” for a bookmaking operation overseas.

Krause has reportedly worked as an agent between bettors and Costa Rica-based online sportsbook, ABCBetting.ag, as far back as 2019, per ESPN. Bettors who reportedly worked with Krause told ESPN he provided them with a line of credit and login information, allowing them to place wagers on the site and pay Krause directly through Venmo or PayPal. According to another anonymous bettor, Krause reportedly offered to give them a portion of the proceeds for any bettors they referred to him.

Questions surrounding Krause’s betting activity came to light following the Nov. 5 bout between Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC 64 Las Vegas. The fight was flagged for suspicious betting activity after several sportsbooks reported unusual interest on Minner to lose early hours before the bout, which Nuerdanbieke won with a first-round TKO after capitalizing on Minner after he showed signs of a lingering leg injury. It was later revealed that Krause and Minner failed to disclose a leg injury on his pre-fight medical questionnaire.

Shortly after the fight, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement banned all bettors on Nov. 19 from wagering on fights that included Krause’s involvement as a coach, trainer, promoter or fighter. On Dec. 2, the UFC announced that Minner, who was also suspended by the NSAC, had been released. 

In that same statement, Hunter Campbell, the promotion’s chief business officer, also noted that all fighters who are still coached by Krause or train at his gym, Glory MMA and Fitness, would not be allowed to participate in UFC-sanctioned events until the probe has been completed.

Krause later sold his ownership stake in the gym, located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, amid the ongoing scandal.

“UFC believes there is no more important component of professional mixed martial arts than the integrity of the sport,” the statement read. “UFC will continue to take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure compliance with and enforcement of its policies and those of the jurisdictions in which it operates.”

Krause’s prior ties to online sports betting include a stint as the main face of an online sportsbook, and the runner of a Discord channel and YouTube podcast named the 1% Club, where he provided betting tips via a subscription service. The discord was shut down roughly three weeks after the Minner-Neurdanbieke fight, per ESPN.

Additionally, following his retirement in 2020, Krause hosted a betting podcast on the UFC’s streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass, and appeared as an analyst on a UFC Best Bets show for ESPN on YouTube in 2021.