Krause and Minner remain under NSAC suspension pending outcome of open investigations
Those hoping for a resolution in the cases of James Krause and Darrick Minner will be disappointed to learn that neither man is on the docket of the upcoming Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting. That meeting takes place on Tuesday, January 17, in Las Vegas.
The NSAC initially suspended Minner at the November commission meeting. Minner fought Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on November 5, 2022, on the UFC Vegas 64 fight card. Nuerdanbieke moved from a -220 favorite to -420 in the hours before the event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, took place. U.S. Integrity, a company that investigates suspicious betting behavior, noted that line change and increased bets being made for Nuerdanbieke to win via first-round knockout and for the bout to last fewer than 2.5 rounds.
All those bets cashed when Nuerdanbieke, who had zero previous finishes with the UFC, capitalized on an injury to Minner’s leg and scored a knockout win 1:07 into the contest.
During the November meeting, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Joel Bekker noted that an “injury occurred during training” and that the result of that pre-fight injury “had all kinds of effects on betting lines.”
In December, the commission extended Minner’s suspension. At the time, Bekker reiterated that Minner’s initial suspension was for failing to inform (the NSAC) of his injury ahead of that bout. Bekker then added:
“Respondent submitted a medical questionnaire dated November 1, 2022, confirmed that it was true and accurate to a representative of the commission. It is alleged that the respondent knew or should have known that there was a substantial injury that required medical attention and been reported to the commission.
“Further, there are ongoing investigations related to that November 5 bout that have yet to be concluded and may bring to light further violations.”
Krause, who was Minner’s coach for the Nuerdanbieke fight was also initially suspended for his role in Minner’s injury not being disclosed to the commission. In addition, Krause is under investigation for the above-mentioned betting irregularities.
Bekker said of Krause and his suspension:
“Respondent allegedly allowed Mr. Minner to submit a medical questionnaire dated November 1, 2022 and confirmed the statement was true and accurate to a representative of the commission on November 4, 2022. It is alleged that respondent knew of or should have known of a substantial injury that required medical attention sustained by Mr. Minner and either allowed or encouraged Mr. Minner to fail to report the injury.
“Further, there are ongoing investigations stemming from and related to that November 5 bout that have yet to be concluded and may bring to light further violations.”
On Friday, Bloody Elbow spoke to NSAC executive director Jeffrey Mullen. Mullen said the suspensions doled out to Krause and Minner would remain on the books until the investigations into the fighter and the coach were complete. With those investigations ongoing, Minner and Krause will not have their cases discussed at the January NSAC meeting.
One fighter with ties to Krause and the gym he ran, Glory MMA, is on the docket for Tuesday’s meeting. That fighter is Jeff Molina. The NSAC suspended Molina in December for undisclosed reasons. The NSAC will discuss and vote on continuing Molina’s suspension at Tuesday’s meeting.