The fallout from the UFC Vegas 110 “betting scandal” continues, with famed fight camp Factory X cutting ties with now-former UFC featherweight Isaac Dulgarian.
Factory X head coach Marc Montoya discussed the issue on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Showand denied any involvement in suspected betting irregularities, including a huge money shift to Yadier del Valle, Dulgarian’s opponent on Saturday.
del Valle won the fight in the opening round via rear choke. Dulgarian was heavily criticized, including during the UFC Vegas 110 post-fight show, for his lack of submission defense and poor performance in general. IC360, the UFC’s betting integrity partner, had notified the promotion of suspicious gambling activity ahead of the event. Although they spoke to the fighters involved, the fight was allowed to continue.
“My gym is under attack, my integrity is under attack, and I want to say first and foremost that we have nothing to do with the accusations that are being made about us,” Montoya told Helwani on Tuesday. “People have asked me what my opinion is. Speculating at this point is not my job. My job at this point is to continue to lead and not react. And that being said, we as a team, myself as a person, I have never been involved in any type of betting. I have actually never placed a sports bet in my entire life. I couldn’t tell you how to do that. And so my job has always been to train these guys to fight and win, to train these guys training to win in life, and those are my two jobs. I take that very seriously, this is my life’s work. You can be your ass, that I would never, for any money, sell my integrity or my word, because in life that’s all you have.
Montoya went on to call it a “very unfortunate situation,” one that is “still unfolding.”
“I’m not here to speculate, I hear facts speaking.”
Montoya spoke to Dulgarian about the allegations when the UFC approached the fighter ahead of the fight. News of the betting irregularities was already making the rounds.
“First and foremost, as a coach and as a person, I care about my fighter, so there is a conversation that needs to be had. We had the conversation about allegations, he assured me he was not involved, and I have no reason not to believe him,” Montoya said on that front.
The Factory X head coach added that he hoped the allegations were untrue. That said, he further confirmed that Isaac Dulgarian was no longer part of the team. That, after being with Dulgarian for several UFC fights.
“We had a conversation on Sunday, it was very brief. The conversation was that he was cut from the UFC, and unfortunately there’s an investigation going on and ultimately he’s not part of this Factory X team because of everything that’s going on,” Montoya said at the gym as he parted ways with the fighter. “And that was ultimately the conversation.”
“Whether he’s guilty or innocent, my prediction is that Isaac Dulgarian won’t fight again. And so, does it matter where he claims, where he trains? Ultimately, where we sit today is just a crazy mess, with all these accusations, and so the least of his worries right now would be where he is and where he trains.”
When Montoya was asked about the possibility that Dulgarian could be innocent, he responded, “Ultimately, I can’t speculate. That’s the FBI’s job. I’m waiting, just like you and the rest of these people, to find out whether this is true or not. Or where he’s going. And so ultimately, I can’t speculate. It’s not my job. That’s the FBI’s job.”
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