MMA Fighter Sentenced for Match Fixing

Bang Tae-hyun, a former UFC fighter from South Korea, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for his role in a match-fixing scam, according to the Korea Herald.

Seoul Central District Court found Tae-hyun guilty of accepting a bribe of 100 million ($92,160) to throw a bout at the UFC’s Fight Night event in South Korea almost exactly two years ago. Three brokers who paid Tae-hyun have also been sentenced.

“The crime of match fixing damages the credibility of sport, and in international matches, it has a bad effect on the country’s credibility as well,” the court said. “Bang had an obligation to play the game fairly, but he ignored it and took an important role in the scheme. But we did take into consideration that Bang won the bout and returned the money afterwards.”

An investigation revealed that Tae-hyun agreed to lose the first two rounds to opponent Leo Kuntz. However, Tae-hyun changed his mind at the last minute and did not go through with the plans, as he ended up defeating Kuntz via split decision.

The UFC reportedly saw the lines and betting patterns on both fighters change on gambling websites, and the promotion warned both fighters about match fixing.

Bang was released by the UFC last month after going 2-3 in the promotion.