The now-former ranked 125lb’er was one of the key figures caught up in a betting scandal that briefly stunned the UFC (not to mention fans) a couple of years back. Molina (11-2), along with then Glory MMA head coach James Krause, was suspected of being behind irregularities in betting on the Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbiek fight in November 2022.

Krause was a coach of Minner, who fell early in the fight with Nuerdanbiek due to injury. He was also working for an off-shore sports book, and selling his own gambling know-how directly to fight fans making wagers, often boasting that he made more money gambling then coaching or fighting. Molina, meanwhile, was helping Krause push his gambling business – only for it all to come crashing down after the Minner fight.

At least some of Krause’s actions, and Molina’s, were done fairly openly. However, weeks before the Minner fight in November 2022, the UFC changed its gambling policy to forbid betting by fighters, even on bouts outside of their own. Molina and Krause at least ignored that new policy.

Back in January 2023, Molina was removed from the UFC’s active roster, though he was under suspension by the NSAC at the time, due to his involvement with Krause. Molina had been involved with the “1% Club” — a betting Discord run by Krause, and a scheme that helped the flyweight make car and mortgage payments, he bragged.

Multiple investigations followed, with even the FBI getting involved. James Krause has yet to learn his fate, though he’s been essentially estranged from the MMA world since.

Earlier this year, Molina received a three-year ban, backdated to the Minner fight (Minner himself was handed a two-year suspension). That ruling, made by the NSAC, found that Molina not only failed to disclose the injury to Minner, but that he instead placed a large wager on the fight. The suspension means the flyweight is eligible to return to action on November 5, 2025. Yet on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Molina claimed to have signed on with BKFC, after being handed his release officially by the UFC.

Molina stated on Helwani’s show that the UFC told him “We can’t go forward with you under the circumstances after the hearing, and we wish you the best in your future,'” which led to him asking for and being granted his release. Then came the deal with BKFC, which the promotion announced on social media just yesterday, in a since-deleted post.

However on Wednesday, BKFC announced that it will honor the suspension, which is being upheld by the Association of Boxing Commissions. “Yesterday’s announcement regarding Jeff Molina’s signing was premature. We respect the ABC’s current suspension and will honor their rules and suspensions,” promotion officials wrote.

That means more waiting for Molina, who can still compete for the promotion after November 5, should they opt to retain his services.

The post Ousted by UFC, Jeff Molina Sees BKFC Deal Halted Due to Betting Suspension appeared first on Cageside Press.

Darrick Minner, who fell to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in just over a minute at UFC Vegas 64 in November of 2022, arguably set off a powder keg by failing to disclose a knee injury ahead of the fight. Then, hours out from the bout, massive amounts of money shifted to his opponent — arguably the result of his coach, Krause, who had gone on record both selling gambling tips, and stating that he made more as a gambler than as a coach and fighter.

As it turned out, Krause was also employed by an off-short sportsbook.

Not surprisingly, the shift in bets was detected, and several jurisdictions stopped taking bets on UFC fights while multiple bodies, including U.S. Integrity and the FBI, investigated.

That led to the UFC updating its policy regarding gambling by its fighters, after previously being somewhat lenient on the subject (while fighters could not bet on themselves, historically they were able to bet on the outcome of other bouts).

During Tuesday’s monthly Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting, Minner and another Krause fighter, Jeff Molina, learned their fate. Minner has been handed a 29-month suspension, backdated, and fined $235.56 in fees, per a report by MMA Junkie. As a result, his suspension ends one day after the hearing. In the case of Minner, the commission took issue primarily with his failure to disclose the injury on pre-fight medical forms.

Minner was cut by the promotion following the loss, his third straight. It does not appear, however, that he placed any money on the bout.

Molina, who wasn’t involved in the fight, actually received a harsher penalty, a three year ban ending November 5, 2025. The NSAC suspended the flyweight in January of 2023, citing his involvement in Krause’s betting operation. As it turns out, Molina both knew of Minner’s injury, failed to report it, and instead placed a large wager on the fight. He had also been assisting in Krause’s betting scheme.

“Having direct knowledge of a serious injury sustained by a fellow fighter, Darrick Minner, Molina failed to inform the commission of the serious injury, violation of NAC 467.885, and instead of informing the commission, additionally placed a significant bet with a gaming entity on Minner’s fight,” attorney general representative Matthew Feely stated on Tuesday.

Per the commission, Molina admitted to the violation in a statement that was not read on the record, while providing explanation for his actions.

Following the incident, the UFC barred fighters training under James Krause, then head coach at Glory MMA and Fitness, from competing under its banner. That led many to train elsewhere; Krause eventually sold his stake in the gym. The coach was also suspended by the NSAC, with his fate is yet to be determined.

The post Jeff Molina, Darrick Minner Handed Lengthy Suspensions by NSAC Following Betting Scandal appeared first on Cageside Press.

Molina (11-2), who won his way into the promotion in 2020 as part of Dana White’s Contender Series and debuted the following year, has been caught up with the James Krause betting scandal in recent months.

Currently suspended as a result of that ongoing investigation, Molina has more troubles to worry about, following the leak of a private video earlier this week.

Cageside Press has not verified the contents of the video in question and as a general rule does not report on the private lives of fighters, promoters or officials unless deemed newsworthy, or if the individual in question chooses to address the subject.

On Friday, Molina broke his silence on the matter, posting a statement to social media confirming the video’s authenticity, and announcing that he is bisexual.

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/zho13QHXeT

— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) March 17, 2023

“Welp… this f*cking sucks,” Molina wrote, adding “TLDR: I’m Bi.”

In a more detailed explanation of the video leak, Molina explained that his announcement was “not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me. I’ve tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I’ve dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of that dream happen and getting into the UFC.”

“I’m a pretty masculine dude and that bro-y banter and sus sense of humor has always been how I am. The thought of my buddies, teammates, and [people] I look up to looking at me different let alone treating me different for something I can’t control was something I couldn’t fathom. In a sport like this where a majority of the fans being the homophobic c*cksuckers they are I didn’t see myself doing this during this part of my career. I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dedicated the last 11 years of my life to and not the ‘bi UFC fighter,’ that I’m sure would just be translated to ‘gay UFC fighter.'”

“To the awful disturbed person that decided to post that ishh (sic) I hope it was worth it.”

“At the end of the day I know my character, morals, and who I am as a person,” Molina added. “As much as I’m getting hated/sh*tted on I’m getting an equal amount of support and it means a f*ck ton.”

Although multiple fighters on the female side of the roster are openly gay or bisexual, Molina is the first male fighter to confirm his LGBTQ+ status.

Molina last fought in June of 2022, when he won a split decision over Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

The post UFC Flyweight Jeff Molina Addresses Sexuality After Private Video Leak: “I’m Bi” appeared first on Cageside Press.

He may also be out of a job.

Molina, a Glory fighter, had previously had his license suspended by the Association of Boxing Commissions, resulting in his removal from this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 67 card.

Krause is at the center of multiple ongoing investigations into betting irregularities stemming from the Nov. 5, 2022 match-up between Shayilan Neurdanbieke and Darrick Minner, which Minner lost inside of a round. Immediately before the fight, significant money was placed on Neurdanbieke, already the favorite in the bout, to win inside of a round.

Minner, a Krause fighter, appeared hampered by a leg injury in the bout, putting immediate focus on who knew about the fighter’s ailment. Minner has since been released by the UFC.

Per a report by MMA Junkie, the decision by Nevada officials to suspend Molina was made in December, around the time of his ABC suspension, and extended at a commission meeting on Tuesday.

“Evidence has come to light, leading to allegations that respondent Jeff Molina was involved in some substantial way in the gaming scheme currently under ongoing investigation related to James Krause,” Nevada Attorney General’s Office representative Joel Bekker stated. “Based on this evidence pursuant to NRS 467.117, executive director [Jeff] Mullen temporarily suspended the respondent’s license on Dec. 15, 2022. It is now being requested this suspension be continued pending the resolution of investigations and any subsequent disciplinary action.”

That evidence is possibly related to a previous report of leaked messages attributed to Molina, in which he claims to have paid car and mortgage payments through betting tips provided by Krause. These statements appear to have been a recruitment effort to join the “1% Club,” a gambling-themed Discord run by the Glory coach.

That same ESPN report has linked Krause of an offshore betting site, where he allegedly worked as an agent for several years.

Also Tuesday, UFC Roster Watch, an automated service that monitors changes to the UFC’s fighter database, noted that Molina had been removed from the roster. It’s unclear whether he has been outright released, or if this is a temporary removal due to his suspension.

UFC officials did not respond to a request for comment regarding Molina’s status. None of the allegations regarding Krause or Molina have been proven in court; neither fighters has been charged with any criminal wrongdoing at this point.

The post Jeff Molina Suspended by NSAC After Allegations of “Substantial” Involvement in Krause Gambling Scheme appeared first on Cageside Press.

Also included in that report are claims, allegedly from the fighter himself, that UFC flyweight Jeff Molina used Krause’s tips — potentially insider tips — to pay his car and mortgage payments for a period of six months.

ESPN included a transcript of Molina’s claims, apparently made to encourage bettors to join the “1% Club” — a betting Discord run by Krause.

Krause has been under investigation and banned by both the UFC and Nevada State Athletic Commission (via his license as a third being suspended) since a Nov. 5, 2022 fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. In the hours ahead of the fight, a large amount of money was placed on Nuerdanbike to win inside of a round. Already a favorite in the fight, Nuerdanbieke did just that, with Minner appearing to struggle with a leg injury from the outset.

“He’s trained w/ a lot of the fighters, lives and breathes this sport as a coach/fighter, & at times has the scoop on injuries — non-announced matchups — how fighters look like in camp, etc.,” Molina wrote in Discord messages obtained by ESPN. “In stocks this is called insider trading in MMA betting it’s called James Krause. For the last 6 months all my bills including mortgage and car note have been paid via Krause’s picks. Do yourself a favor and join the VIP.”

The admission of insider knowledge is unlikely to help either fighter as multiple investigations into the matter continue to run their course. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, U.S. Integrity, which monitors the gambling industry, and Don Best Sports, the UFC’s betting integrity partner, both confirmed they were looking into the matter.

More recently, claims of an FBI investigation also began making the rounds. After initially denying that he had any concerns over the incident, UFC President Dana White later admitted that fight fixing was now a “huge concern” for the world’s largest MMA promotion.

Jeff Molina, who is 3-0 as a UFC flyweight, was a student of Krause as Glory MMA and Fitness in Kansas. Krause has since left the gym, after the UFC announced a ban on any fighters still associated with him. Per ESPN’s report, Molina remains suspended by the NSAC, resulting in his withdrawal from a fight against Jimmy Flick at UFC Vegas 67 this weekend.

The flyweight’s response to the UFC instituting stricter betting controls among fighters this past October was perhaps telling. Molina had previously been open about his interest in gambling on fights, though there have been no allegations of anything untoward regarding Molina’s own bouts to date.

🥴 https://t.co/BRVpDpCCIZ

— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) October 17, 2022

The post UFC’s Jeff Molina Allegedly Helped Make Car, Mortgage Payments via Gambling, Krause Tips appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now, the former Invicta FC champ has opened up about what she feels was a lack of training and guidance ahead of the bout, while she was a member of Glory MMA and Fitness.

Responding to a fan on social media who accused her of throwing the gym under the bus in her loss, while another Glory MMA Fighter, Brandon Moreno, was thriving, Anderson wrote that “When you only received 1 x 30 pad session a week for the entire 7 months I was [in] camp and received no other coaching, no one picking my training partners/rounds or even coaching me through those rounds the entire time, when no matter how many times I asked to sit down and talk about a game plan an excuse was always given for it to never happen then it’s not throwing them under the bus… it’s saying exactly what happened.”

In regards to the Moreno comparison, Anderson added that “Now Brandon had a personalized session every single day, whenever he traveled for the UFC Spanish broadcast the coached traveled with him to make sure he had personalized training at all times.”

“If you’re telling me that just 1 x 30 mins pad session a week for a world title fight against the greatest female fighter of all time is enough coaching than you’re delusional,” Anderson finished.

Anderson, 32, later deleted the post.

The towering Anderson did not last long against Nunes in their March 2021 match-up, ending up submitted via a reverse triangle arm-bar just over two minutes into the opening round. It was another notch on Nunes’ belt, while Anderson was heavily criticized for her performance.

It did not take long for Glory MMA and Fitness member and fellow UFC fighter Jeff Molina to respond. The flyweight was quick to defend the gym and head coach James Krause, who came under fire this past weekend when Darrick Minner fought injured at UFC Vegas 64.

“This couldn’t be further from the truth. Way to wait until MMA Twitter is trashing JK [James Krause] for his fighter fighting injured just like 90% of fighters do just cause [you] want some Twitter clout,” Molina wrote in response. “I was there your entire training camp for Nunes. You sat out 99% of the live [rounds], you would ask your training partners ‘jokingly’ to let you win the [round], you were the laziest training partner always talking about how tired you were 5 min into drilling, you would intentionally hurt training partners who were new and had an obvious skill gap (you broke a soccer mom’s nose in probably one of the few [rounds] of sparring you did outside of practice), you have an alcohol problem and were sloshed a month and a half before your title fight, you burned bridges with every single person in the gym including the front desk guy because of how much of a head case you are.”

“Don’t forget how Krause talked you off the ledge before every single fight and how complimentary you were of him changing your career and life. You lose one fight and now everything changes? Take some accountability for yourself. You lost that fight the second you signed the dotted line— look in the mirror that’s why you lost that fight.”

Krause’s camp has gone through a particularly rough week, with betting irregularities surrounding the Minner fight currently under investigation. Megan Anderson, meanwhile, has not responded to Molina’s allegations regarding her behavior in the gym.

The post Megan Anderson Says Glory MMA Left Her Ill Prepared for Title Fight, Former Teammate Fires Back appeared first on Cageside Press.

Molina picked up his third UFC win in a very close, controversial split decision over Zhalgas Zhumagulov. All but one media score went in favor of Zhumagulov. Yet while most feel he lost the fight, Molina believes he won the fight on damage — which is the first criteria in judging.

Even then, however, Molina (11-2) was frustrated with his performance.

“I’m a little frustrated with how the fight played out, but that’s fighting, man. That’s fighting,” Molina told Cageside Press in his UFC Vegas 56 post-fight interview. “I’m gonna get better from this fight. Easier to learn off of a win, and I did think I won that fight. Fights are scored off damage; that’s the biggest criteria in the sport. I was looking to do damage. He was looking to hold me against the fence, which, you know, credit to him, he did a good job of holding me against a fence. I wasn’t able to break his lock.”

Molina went on to explain why he was frustrated. “My inability to break the lock. I felt like anytime he tried to advance and actually finish the takedown, I was right back up to my feet. It’s a good game plan, right? Like, hey, ‘let’s freeze Jeff by just holding him. By just getting a body lock around him and not really trying to advance the fight.’ But that’s not how fights are scored. You got to do damage, and I felt like I was trying to f*ck him up, and he was trying to hug me. Again, it’s part of fighting; good on him. But that’s not how you win fights.”

A win is a win, no matter how you look at it. Molina hopes to return to the octagon in October after a vacation to Italy.

Molina also got to react and respond to the backlash he got from wearing rainbow colors as part of Pride Month. When he shared his outfit with the colors this week, he was blasted by hateful comments.

“Dude, it’s f*cking ridiculous. Man, who would have [thought] that in 2022 people are like still— like, who the f*ck cares, bro? Like honestly, it’s not even about being an ally. I am not saying I am not, but it’s like just be a f*cking decent person, like just be a decent human being,” Molina said. “Like judging someone and trying to justify it with religion and saying all sorts of like just spiteful hateful sh*t is crazy to me. It’s mind-boggling. It’s like who cares what who someone wants to be with or like, their sexual preference.”

“I picked the colors because I thought it looked cool and then also it supports a good cause. I will support anything of a community that’s been oppressed and ostracized for some time now for something they can’t help….mind your own business; if it doesn’t concern you, get f*cked.”

Watch the rest of Jeff Molina’s UFC Vegas 56 post-fight press scrum above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC Vegas 56: Jeff Molina Frustrated With Performance But Says “I Won That Fight” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Molina (10-2) was on a two-fight win streak in the UFC, but overall had won nine straight having not lost a fight since Feb. 2018.

Zhumagulov (14-6) on the other side lost his last bout against Manel Kape in Dec. 2021, and was 1-3 in his UFC stint so far.

With both men looking to solidify their position on the roster, and in the division, this bout seemed to be a crossroads for both men.

Round 1 began as a feel-out process before Zhumagulov made it a grappling battle with a series of shots, takedown attempts, and clinch positions on the fence. Molina was able to stuff every attempt and forced his way out of the clinch and back to the striking game. Molina tried to get the round back with his striking countering well, setting up right hands, and avoiding Zhumagulov’s power shots.

Round 2 began with Molina working the jab and the striking forcing Zhumagulov to circle around a lot more, but ultimately went back to his game plan from the first round. Lot of clinching and takedown attempts for Zhumagulov and he finally scores one in round 2. They got back to the feet, but Zhumagulov landed a clean left hand that may have buckled the knees of Molina for a moment. Round ended in the clinch.

Round 3 began with Zhumagulov seemingly taking on the striking game while circling around to try and rest after two full rounds of grappling. Molina took advantage by putting the pressure on him and landing some shots, but nothing big. Zhumagulov eventually was able to score another two takedown near the end of the round and the fight went to the judges.

Official Result: Jeff Molina def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

The post UFC Vegas 56: Jeff Molina Grinds Out Split Decision Win Over Zhumagulov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Molina is coming off his second win in the UFC, which saw him finish Daniel Da Silva in the second round at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori. The 24-year-old looked very impressive, and it might have been his best performance to date. Surprisingly, what makes the win even more impressive is the fact that Molina was fighting through a very bad ankle injury that happened two weeks prior.

“Man! Two weeks before the fight, I was flying out to corner Tim Elliott for his fight, and on my way to the airport, I totaled my car. I still made my flight though, still made my flight. I got to Vegas, and granted, I’m fighting two weeks later, so I’m not going super hard. I’m already cutting weight, and I’m rolling with my coach, and then my ankle just snaps,” Molina told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview. “It was a freak injury. I have the video of it, and it’s pretty gnarly— You hear it snap. Yeah, but that wasn’t fun. So, I was dealing with that, and I couldn’t even walk for two weeks before my fight. That was a bummer.”

Molina said he was also dealing with some nagging shoulder injuries, but he got some stem cells in Vegas, and he feels perfect.

“El Jeffe” returns to action on June 4 against his toughest opponent to date, Zhalgas Zhumagulov. Molina likes the match-up and thinks the Kazakh fighter is much better than his UFC record might indicate.

“I love it. He’s game; he’s good. I think his track record in the UFC doesn’t kind of speak to the type of fighter he is. He has some big wins on his resume. He’s beaten [Ali] Bagautinov, Tyson Nam, Tagir Ulanbekov, and I feel like he hasn’t got the shine he had outside the UFC. He’s fought some tough people. That being said, I do think I’m better than him everywhere. And I do best against these types of guys. He’s shorter, stockier, fire hydrant build. They throw big hooks and big overhands. I feel like I fought kind of a lesser version of him on the Contender Series,” Molina said.

Molina believes it is a perfect third fight for him, and predicts that he will finish Zhumagulov.

Watch the rest of our interview with Jeff Molina above. UFC Vegas 56 takes place Saturday, June 4, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post UFC Vegas 56: Jeff Molina Reveals He Snapped His Ankle Two Weeks Before Daniel Da Silva Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Molina (10-2) and Zhumagulov (14-6) will face off on the promotion’s June 4, 2022 Fight Night card. Iridium Sports Agency was first to announce the news, which Molina later confirmed.

The fight will see the 125lb pair competing under very different circumstances.

After winning his way into the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, Molina has seen his hand raised in his first two excursions inside the octagon. For his promotional debut, Molina was paired up with Qileng Aori; the American would go on to win a unanimous decision.

In his sophomore outing, Molina finished Daniel da Silva with strikes in the second round.

Zhumagulov on the other hand has gone 1-3 through his four bouts in the promotion to date. Most recently, he was finished by former RIZIN Fighting Federation champ Manel Kape. The Kazakh fighter’s lone win came against Jerome Rivera last year.

Prior to arriving on the big stage, Zhumagulov captured the Fight Nights Global flyweight championship.

Reported for the UFC’s June 4, 2022 Fight Night event thus far are the following fights:

• Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
• Poliana Botelho vs. Karine Silva
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ode Osbourne
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jeff Molina

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