Jan 13, 2023
The gambling controversy surrounding highly regarded MMA trainer James Krause, a former UFC fighter, reached another level Thursday when ESPN reported that Krause acted as an agent for an online sports book. Krause was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission and the UFC has banned fighters from training at his gym, Glory MMA & Fitness in Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno was trained by Krause for a fight with Kai Kara-France on July 30 in the co-main event of UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Moreno is scheduled to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight championship on Jan. 21 at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but left Krause and is being coached by Sayif Saud of Fortis MMA for the bout.
ESPN reported it spoke to multiple persons who said they'd placed bets with Krause. ESPN described the job Krause filled for ABCBetting.ag as "a middleman between offshore sportsbooks and bettors." The ESPN report noted that bettors told it that Krause provided them with a line of credit and login information.
Krause's issues came to public light following a Nov. 5 bout at Apex in Las Vegas between the Krause-coached Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on the main card of UFC Vegas 64. Minner threw a kick at Nuerdanbieke early in the fight and collapsed in pain. Nuerdanbieke quickly finished him and won by first-round knockout just 67 seconds into the bout.
Source: Yahoo Sports