Alexander Hernandez Says Federal Agents Questioned Him About Throwing a UFC Fight
Hernandez says feds grilled him for nearly an hour after suspicious betting activity canceled his UFC 324 bout with Michael Johnson.
Alexander Hernandez has revealed that federal agents questioned him about whether he planned to throw his UFC 324 fight against Michael Johnson, per Sherdog.
The January bout was scrapped at the last minute after suspicious betting activity surfaced. Hernandez had opened as a heavy favorite, but large sums of money were wagered on Johnson the day before the fight, shifting the line dramatically in Johnson's favor. The sudden movement triggered the cancellation.
Afterward, agents sat Hernandez down for what he described as a nearly hour-long interrogation. They asked whether he had "incriminating apps" on his phone and specifically mentioned the Signal messaging platform. They requested he download it.
What they found was far from a match-fixing operation. Hernandez said his Signal contained a bot message and a conversation about purchasing marijuana in Brazil. He called the exchange "embarrassing" but firmly denied any fight manipulation.
"Certainly not insider trading, not throwing a f---ing fight," Hernandez said.
Hernandez lost a decision to Rafa Garcia in April, snapping a four-fight winning streak. He returns this Saturday at UFC 332 against Rafael dos Anjos in Salt Lake City.
This story is wild, and the fact that it barely made noise when it happened tells you how chaotic the fight business is right now. Federal agents pulling a UFC fighter aside and grilling him about Signal messages and match-fixing is not normal. That is serious federal attention on MMA betting integrity.
Hernandez comes off clean here. A weed conversation in Brazil is a long way from throwing a fight. But the bigger question is who was betting that kind of money on Michael Johnson at the last minute? Somebody moved that line for a reason, and the feds clearly thought it was worth investigating.
The UFC canceled the fight, which was the right call. But the fact that we still don't know who was behind the suspicious wagers is the real story. Hernandez fights dos Anjos on Saturday. He should be focused on that. But I'd bet the feds aren't done looking into this one.
