Korean fighter indicted in fight fixing scheme
Former UFC lightweight Tae-hyun Bang stands accused of taking a bribe of 100 million won ($87,950) from two brokers to deliberately throw a fight.
The Yonhap News is reporting that South Korean prosecutors have indicted a fighter for attempting to fix a bout at UFC Fight Night 79 on November 28, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Former UFC lightweight Tae-hyun Bang stands accused of taking a bribe of 100 million won ($87,950) from two brokers to deliberately throw a fight vs. Leo Kuntz. It must be stated in the clearest possible language that this was an attempted fix, not a work – the other fighter, Leo Kuntz, was entirely unknowing of the plot.
Prosecutors allege the two brokers bribed Bang to throw two rounds vs. Kuntz. However, Bang changed his mind at the last moment and ended up winning via Split Decision.
UFC officials reportedly noticed an unprecedented shift in the betting lines towards Bang losing, and subsequently interviewed both fighters. That apparently spooked Bang, who decided to fight for real, and ended up winning the split decision.
Bang never told the bad guys. A fight-fixing broker identified only as Yang reportedly lost approximately $200,000 on the failed fix, and threatened Bang to cover his losses. He later took approximately $9,000 from him. Yang has since been indicted, as was Shoot, DEEP and RPIDE veteran Dae-won Kim.
Kim allegedly told acquaintances that he could fix the UFC bout by persuading Bang. Kim also allegedly sent approximately $400,000 to Las Vegas in violation of the foreign exchange transaction act. Prosecutors said Kim is also charged with fraud and illegal gambling on Chinese football league matches.
Bang’s UFC contract was terminated. Kuntz, who knew nothing of the scam, was released following the loss, and has since gone 1-1 in Korea’s Road FC.
