The lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez is a last minute scratch from Saturday’s UFC 324.
News of the bout’s cancellation was announced mid-afternoon, Eastern time, on Saturday. Promotion officials offered a brief statement via the official UFC website, stating only that “The lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez has been canceled from tonight’s event.”
However, in the hours before the bout’s cancellation was announced, concern around betting irregularities in connection to the fight had been made public.
BetOnline.ag, for one, announced Saturday that “Due to some irregular betting patterns, we will be keeping the limits lower than usual on tonight’s Michael Johnson vs Alex Hernandez bout. Additionally, there will not be props on this fight.”
A BetOnline rep added that “This is a standard measure, not a judgement on the fight’s integrity, possible injury, etc. However, to protect both the bettors and the house, we will err on the side of caution. If you choose to bet this fight: ALL BETS HAVE ACTION.”
Betting irregularities have kicked off a pair of scandals in recent years. The first saw concerning betting action in the Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke fight at UFC Vegas 64 in 2022. Minner’s coach, James Krause, was later found to be working for an off-shore sportsbook, and linked to allegations of leaking injury info about Minner, who went down early in the fight. Jeff Molina, a student of Krause (himself a UFC fighter) at Glory MMA and Fitness, as well as Krause himself and Minner, were all banished by the promotion and suspended by the NSAC.
No charges or criminal convictions have been announced to date, despite authorities conducting their own investigation.
In November 2025, Isaac Dulgarian was released by the promotion after being heavily criticized for his loss to Yadier del Valle. Despite being a favorite in the fight, Dulgarian was easily submitted, leading to allegations of fight fixing. Dulgarian’s team later cut ties with the fighter, while the FBI investigated the matter.
Thus far, there have been no allegations in regards to Johnson or Hernandez, and the irregular betting action may simply be a coincidence. Neither fighter has been accused of any wrongdoing. The UFC does work with a betting integrity partner, IC360 (formerly U.S. Integrity).
Both lightweights are longtime veterans of the promotion. “Betting irregularity” can include large, unexpected shifts in moneylines, and may stem from something as simple from word slipping out of an athlete entering a bout injured.
