Well, this could get “Puro Chicali” in trouble.
A four-month-old interview with Edgar Chairez has resurfaced in which the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight openly admits to gambling on himself ahead of his fight against Felipe Bunes.
Chairez faced Bunes at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 28, 2026, inside Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. While “Puro Chicali” walked away with a split-decision victory, it apparently cost him approximately 145,000 Mexican pesos — roughly $7,000 — because he bet
on himself to secure a finish.
“I don’t have a problem myself because I haven’t put any money into an account directly,” Chairez said. “I always tell a friend, ‘Hey, put this in your account for me.’ This time, I lost about 145,000 pesos — that’s around $7,000. See, I placed a parlay, and I bet that I would finish. That was the problem.”
The wager never came close to cashing.
Chairez defeated Bunes on two of the three judges’ scorecards, earning a razor-close split decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. However, because the fight reached the final bell, the finish prop included in his parlay failed to cash.
Unfortunately for Chairez, losing $7,000 may not be his biggest concern.
UFC fighters are strictly prohibited from betting on any UFC fight, including their own. The promotion amended its Athlete Conduct Policy in Oct. 2022 to ban contracted athletes from placing wagers either directly or through a third party (details here).
In other words, asking a friend to submit the bet does not provide Chairez with a clever loophole. It is specifically covered by the policy. Depending on the jurisdiction, such conduct can also violate athletic commission or gaming regulations.
UFC has taken gambling violations extremely seriously over the past several years.
The most notorious incident involved former UFC fighter and coach James Krause, whose athlete, Darrick Minner, entered his Nov. 2022 fight against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke with an undisclosed knee injury. Suspicious betting activity poured in against Minner shortly before the fight, and he lost by first-round technical knockout.
Minner and teammate Jeff Molina eventually received lengthy suspensions, while Krause was effectively banished from UFC. The promotion also informed fighters that anyone who continued training under Krause would not be booked to compete.
UFC later partnered with ProhiBet to help identify fighters, coaches and other prohibited individuals attempting to wager on its events.
Then, in late 2025, suspicious betting movement surrounding Isaac Dulgarian’s first-round submission loss to Yadier del Valle sparked another investigation. UFC released Dulgarian and contacted the FBI immediately after the fight, while Nevada regulators suspended him pending further investigation.
To be clear, Chairez betting on himself to win by finish is not evidence that he attempted to manipulate the fight in any way. Nevertheless, it remains a direct violation of UFC’s gambling policy and could attract unwanted attention from both the promotion and regulators.
UFC has not publicly addressed Chairez’s four-month-old admission.
Chairez probably wants that $7,000 back.
He may eventually want this quote back, too.
