The UFC community was recently shaken by reports of unusual betting activity during Isaac Dulgarian’s fight, but Factory X owner and head coach Marc Montoya insists neither he nor his gym had any connection to the situation.
Dulgarian, who holds a 7-2 professional MMA record with 2-2 in the UFC, suffered the first stoppage loss of his career at UFC Fight Night 263 on Saturday. He was submitted in the opening round by Yadier del Valle. The result coincided with heavy late bets against Dulgarian, raising red flags among sportsbooks and prompting further investigation.
On Monday, the UFC confirmed that Dulgarian had been released from the organization.
Montoya Defends His Integrity
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday, Montoya addressed the situation directly to protect his name and the reputation of Factory X.
“My gym is being attacked, my integrity is being attacked, and I just want to first and foremost say, we have nothing to do with any of these allegations that are being brought upon us,” Montoya said. “People have asked me what my opinions are. To speculate right now is not my job. My job is to right now continue to lead and not react. With that said, we as a team, myself as a person, I’ve never been involved in any type of betting format. I’ve actually never even placed a sports bet in my entire life. I couldn’t tell you how to do it.
“My job has always been to train these guys to fight and win. Train these guys to win in life and those are my two jobs. I take that very seriously. This is my life’s work, and you can bet your ass that I would never, for any sort of money, I would never sell my integrity or my word, because in life, that’s all you have. You have one thing. All these worldly things that we look at – the cars, the houses, the money, all those things, those are worldly, man-made things. We go, and we leave ourself with one thing when we leave this earth, and that’s our integrity and our word. You couldn’t pay me any amount of money to get rid of that.”
Yadier del Valle vs Isaac Dulgarian
Featherweight bout
Full fight recap #UFCVegas110This is the full fight recap of the fight that was allegedly fixed. What do you think? I see a case pic.twitter.com/T2oLsog8M7
— Albert (@AlbertMMA_) November 2, 2025
Dulgarian’s UFC Journey
Montoya revealed he began coaching Dulgarian when the fighter joined the UFC in 2023. Under Montoya’s guidance, Dulgarian built a 2-1 UFC record prior to Saturday’s fight, including stoppage wins over Francis Marshall and Brendon Marotte, and a split-decision loss to Christian Rodriguez.
“Training camp was business as usual,” Montoya said. “We trained our butt off for this fight. He trained with world-class athletes leading up to this fight. He was physically and mentally ready to go into this fight and secure victory. He’s an amazing athlete. He’s a guy worth investing time into in the fight world. I don’t go into any fight as a coach that I don’t think we’re going to go win. At the end of the day, that is our job. He’s exceptional in that sense. That is his pedigree.”
Addressing Allegations
Montoya noted that word of the betting irregularities reached the team while they were preparing for the fight. After questioning Dulgarian, Montoya was reassured that his fighter had no involvement.
“My perspective is that’s a massive distraction from what our job is,” Montoya explained. “Our job is that we prepared weeks upon weeks to go win a fight. First and foremost, as a coach and as a person, I care about my fighter, so there’s a conversation that needs to be had. We had the conversation about allegations, he reassured me he wasn’t involved, and I have no reason not to believe him.”
The fight outcome was unusual for Dulgarian, who had never previously been finished and typically won by stoppage. Prop bets on him losing in the opening round led sportsbooks like William Hill and Caesars to cancel wagers.
In the aftermath, Dulgarian was not only cut from the UFC, but Montoya also removed him from the Factory X team as an FBI investigation unfolds. Montoya expressed concern for Dulgarian and his family but remains uncertain about the fighter’s future.
“The conversation was that he was cut from the UFC, and unfortunately, there’s an investigation that is being had, and, ultimately, that he’s not part of this Factory X team because of everything going on,” Montoya said. “… Whether he’s guilty or he’s innocent, in my prediction, Isaac Dulgarian is not gonna fight again. So, does it matter where he claims where he’s training? Ultimately, where we sit today is in just a crazy mess, with all these allegations, and so, the least of his concerns right now would be where he’s at and where he’s training.”
Montoya remains focused on coaching his team and upholding his long-standing reputation for integrity in the MMA world.
