UFC Prohibits Fighters from Placing Wagers on Promotion Events

The Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC as it’s known for short has finally updated its policy which prohibits fighters and fighters’ close associates to place wagers on UFC events, especially those that the athletes are involved with themselves.

All Bets Are Off for UFC Sports Wagering by Athletes

In a letter shared on Monday with all participants in the UFC, the organization’s chief business officer, Hunter Campbell, stressed the importance of the measure and why it would be necessary moving forward. Campbell said that the UFC had to step up as it has obligations to meet under state laws and specifically those where sports betting is permitted.

That is why the wagering prohibition needs to now be incorporated into the UFC Athlete Conduct Policy. As a result, athletes may wager on no match. The UFC has been behind many other professional organizations which acted quickly and made sure that they prohibited their athletes to gamble on the outcome of the sports events they participated in. The measure encompasses all of the big American sports leagues and now extends to the UFC, an international organization.

However, the UFC will not go so far as to prohibit sponsorships between its athletes and gambling companies on the condition the athletes themselves do not place a wager. Fighters may continue to serve as brand ambassadors and represent the brands that they are happy to work with. Campbell’s letter specifically detailed the nature of the prohibition:

Many states also extend this prohibition to the athletes’ training teams, family members and others that have access to “inside information” relating to the athletes and their events.

UFC chief business officer, Hunter Campbell

Criminal Charges and Suspensions for Violating Betting Rules

The executive warned that violation of those wagering prohibitions could result in criminal charges being brought against individual athletes. Fighters may also lose their competing rules which will make it harder for them to come back to the Octagon. The UFC may be a laggard, argues Campbell, but he is confident that his association can now uphold the strictest sports wagering rules.

Meanwhile, fighters will still be allowed to wager on any other sport that they are happy to back. There is no prohibition on fighters betting on other Mixed Martial Arts promotions so long as it’s not one that they specifically participate in. However, this is still a detail that each promotion has to sort out internally. So far as the UFC goes, all bets are off.