A fighter received jail time this week in South Korea for his role in a UFC fight-fixing scandal.
Tae Hyun **** was sentenced to 10 months by the Seoul Central District Court for taking $92,610 (100 million won in South Korea) to throw a fight against Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul in November 2015, according to the Korea Herald. Three people who gave the money to **** also got jail terms.
"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. "**** 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 **** won the bout and returned the money afterwards.
****, 34, reportedly agreed to lose the first two rounds and the fight to Kuntz. But the fighter apparently changed his mind. **** ended up winning a split decision. His change of heart reportedly came due to a warning from UFC officials about fight fixing after the betting lines on the fight changed drastically leading into the event.
**** (18-10) was officially released by the UFC last month. The South Korean fighter, nicknamed The Korean Cowboy, went 2-3 in the UFC, including a third-round knockout win over Kajan Johnson. In that bout, **** won $100,000 in bonuses for Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night.
Tae Hyun **** was sentenced to 10 months by the Seoul Central District Court for taking $92,610 (100 million won in South Korea) to throw a fight against Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul in November 2015, according to the Korea Herald. Three people who gave the money to **** also got jail terms.
"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. "**** 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 **** won the bout and returned the money afterwards.
****, 34, reportedly agreed to lose the first two rounds and the fight to Kuntz. But the fighter apparently changed his mind. **** ended up winning a split decision. His change of heart reportedly came due to a warning from UFC officials about fight fixing after the betting lines on the fight changed drastically leading into the event.
**** (18-10) was officially released by the UFC last month. The South Korean fighter, nicknamed The Korean Cowboy, went 2-3 in the UFC, including a third-round knockout win over Kajan Johnson. In that bout, **** won $100,000 in bonuses for Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night.
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