UFC fighter Miles Johns revealed that his coach James Krause was 'pulled from his corner' and 'suspended' by the promotion amid a suspicious activity investigation surrounding a fight he was involved in. According to Johns, he was pulled from the corner at dinner the night before the fight.
James Krause is a former fighter now turned famous MMA coach who has coached many UFC title challengers and has brought multiple championships to his gym. Some of those include Tim Elliot, Megan Anderson, and Brandon Moreno. He also coaches the well-known figure in MMA, Laura Sanko.
The investigation pertaining to him is around a fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and the betting odds for it. James Krause is the head coach and cornerman of Minner. Prior to the fight, the odds swayed greatly and bets were rapidly placed on Nuerdanbieke to win by knockout in the first round. Cash flowed in on the fight to last less than 2.5 rounds.
During the fight, Minner threw a kick with his left leg and immediately showed signs of pain and injury. He threw another kick and was unable to avoid the strikes of his opponent and was forced to cover up and absorb punishment. He was eventually finished and Nuerdanbieke won via knockout in round 1. As it turned out, Minner was injured heading into the bout and word of that had reportedly spread, causing bettors to place money on his opponent.
Multiple sportsbooks across the U.S reported this suspicious activity and the Las Vegas betting firm has launched an investigation over the matter. Gambling enforcement in the state of New Jersey has told sportsbooks not to offer any gambling for any fight Krause is involved in as a coach, trainer, fighter, or promoter.
Krause is a known leader of the gambling community in MMA, he even hosts a podcast and has a discord server dedicated to his wagering. - According to Marc Raimondi, he has not been formally suspended by the UFC or Nevada State Athletic Commission but still is not allowed to corner fighters. Neither organization has released a statement regarding the matter.