Fighter sentenced to 10 months in prison for UFC match-fixing scam

Former UFC fighter Tae Hyun Bang has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for his role in a match-fixing scam at UFC Fight Night 79 two years ago.

Bang claimed a split decision over Leo Kuntz on the card, which was held in his native South Korea on November 28, 2015 but the bout was mired in controversy. The fluctuation in odds for the fight caused several eyebrows to be raised and the UFC quickly became suspicious of Bang, who had reportedly agreed to throw the first two rounds of his fight in exchange for a fee of 100 million Won ($92,160) before becoming spooked by the questions that were being asked. Bang then decided to fight honourably and went on to win by a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). The Korea Herald reports that Bang has been jailed for 10 months for initially accepting the bribe although some leniency was shown towards the 34-year-old for his change of heart at the last minute.

"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."

Bang put together a record of 2-3 in the Octagon before he was released by the UFC in October.