Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) would like to have a word with Darrick Minner.
The featherweight veteran suffered a fight-ending knee injury in his technical knockout loss to Nuerdanbieke Shayilan at the UFC Vegas 64 mixed martial arts (MMA) event earlier this month at APEX facility in Las Vegas. Unfortunate, but not uncommon when you look at similar in-cage injuries to Patrick Cote and Tom Aspinall, just to name a few.
That said, the damage appears to have “occurred during training” and “had all kinds of effects on betting lines,” according to Deputy Attorney General Joel Bekker (via MMA Fighting), and the decision to compete in light of the pre-existing injury could leave Minner facing a fine or suspension (or both) when the commission reconvenes in December.
That’s merely the tip of the iceberg, one that includes his bookie-busting coach.
Just hours before the event, the pre-fight betting line saw a colossal shift in favor of Nuerdanbieke to win by first-round knockout; which he did, because Minner’s knee threw in the towel and sent the Nebraskan tumbling to the canvas. The promotion denied any knowledge of the “suspicious betting” after U.S. Integrity launched an investigation.
A precedent was recently set with the case between NSAC and Ilir Latifi.
“The Sledgehammer” was stricken with Staph infection and competed anyway, then admitted his non-disclosure following his unanimous decision victory over Aleksei Oleynik at UFC Vegas 61 in early October. Not surprisingly, the commission was appalled by his “risky” behavior and slapped him with a three-month suspension, plus fees.
Minner could be facing the same — or worse — in just a few weeks.
