The Korea Herald reports that former UFC fighter Bang Tae-hyun has been handed a 10 month jail term after agreeing to take a dive at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul on Nov. 28, 2015.
Bang apparently agreed to lose his fight but the UFC got wind that something was amiss when betting lines dramatically shifted leading up to the bout. UFC executives confronted Bang and he ultimately went on to win the fight despite accepting a bribe to lose.
The Herald reports as follows:
South Korean mixed martial arts fighter Bang Tae-hyun was sentenced to 10 months in prison by a local court Friday for his involvement in a match fixing scam.
The Seoul Central District Court said Bang was found guilty of taking a bribe of 100 million won ($92,160) from match-fixing brokers in exchange for throwing a bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship event in South Korea in 2015. Three brokers who handed money to Bang also received jail terms for their misdeed.
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According to the investigative authorities, Bang agreed to lose the first two rounds against Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul on Nov. 28, 2015. The scam, however, didn’t succeed, as the lightweight fighter apparently changed his mind at the last moment and went on to beat Kuntz in a split decision.
Bang reportedly decided not to throw the match after UFC officials warned him about fight fixing following a sudden shift in betting patterns on gambling websites. The 34-year-old was first listed as the slight favorite against Kuntz, but just hours before the fight, UFC officials caught drastic changes in odds that made him the underdog and his American opponent the overwhelming favorite.
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