Chairez Admits Betting On Himself Despite UFC Ban

UFC flyweight Edgar Chairez admitted in a resurfaced interview that he violated the promotion's strict anti-gambling policy by betting on himself ahead of his February split-decision win over Felipe Bunes at UFC Mexico City.

Chairez told a friend to place roughly $7,000 on a parlay that included him finishing Bunes inside the distance, according to MMA Mania. The wager never cashed. Chairez won on two of three scorecards with tallies of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29, but the fight went the full 15 minutes. "I always tell a friend, 'Hey, put this in your account for me,'" Chairez said in the four-month-old interview. "This time, I lost about 145,000 pesos — that's around $7,000. See, I placed a parlay, and I bet that I would finish. That was the problem."

UFC's Anti-Gambling Policy Covers Third-Party Wagers

The promotion amended its Athlete Conduct Policy in October 2022 to prohibit contracted fighters from wagering on any UFC event, either directly or through a proxy. Having a friend submit the bet offers no protection under the rule. UFC has not publicly addressed the admission.

The promotion has treated gambling infractions as serious violations since suspicious betting activity preceded Darrick Minner's first-round knockout loss to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in November 2022. Minner and teammate Jeff Molina received lengthy suspensions, while their coach James Krause was effectively banished from the organisation. More recently, Isaac Dulgarian was released and referred to the FBI after irregular wagering patterns surrounded his submission loss to Yadier del Valle in late 2025. Nevada regulators suspended Dulgarian pending investigation.

Chairez has not fought since the Bunes decision. He is scheduled to face an opponent yet to be announced at a future UFC card.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Whoops! Veteran Flyweight unknowingly admits he violated UFC’s strict betting rules, had friend bet on him to win (and proceeded to lose $7,000)