According to the betting rules for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, insiders—like the coaches, managers, medical personnel, relatives, or any person who has access to non-public information about the fighters—aren’t allowed to place a bet. But that’s not all that Dana White and Company have prevented the fighters from doing. Apparently, even mentioning a gambling site on the microphone is a punishable offense as per the fight promotion.
You read that right! Fighters aren’t really allowed to say anything about any gambling site. And that’s a mistake that Drakkar Klose realized in the worst manner possible. In a recent conversation with Tim Welch and Joe ‘Diesel’ Riggs on the Red Hawk Recap Podcast, the lightweight contender revealed, “I almost didn’t get my bonus for when I said Stake.com.” Well, mentioning or endorsing a gambling site isn’t really prohibited for the fighters. White certainly doesn’t want to take away his fighters’ freedom of speech. But mentioning them during press conferences and UFC interviews is a big no-no.
Klose continued, “Yeah, I had to write an apology letter.” When Riggs asked about Stake.com, Klose said, “It’s a gambling site because Skinny Bets gave me 10 grand just for saying that. And they weren’t gonna give me my 50.” And that’s when Sean O’Malley’s coach and friend came forth with the big question: Did the UFC officials warn Klose about what he could or could not say?
The answer to that question was a ‘yes’. The fighter out of Arizona said, “Well, you know, at the fighters’ meeting, they told me, they were like, ‘Don’t say anything about the gambling sites. But I didn’t think it was a problem because it was on the mat. Stake.com.” Needless to say, it was a mistake that he will never repeat.
Drakkar Klose Says He Almost Did NOT Get His 50K Bonus For Shouting Out Stake on The Microphone and had to write an apology letter
: Red Hawk Recap YT pic.twitter.com/w0IJuVRD6I
— Kevin (@realkevink) June 13, 2025
The UFC head honcho also had a few stories where he addressed his problems with gambling. One time, White lost millions in gambling. Let’s take a look at the story where White lost around $3 million.
Dana White recalls his $3M gambling loss
In his interaction with Lex Fridman on his podcast, White opened up on one of his blackjack debacles. He narrated the story when he was in the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with his friends. He said, “I would call this the biggest loss for many different reasons. You live and you learn in life, you figure things out as you go along.” The UFC head honcho recalled that he and his buddies enjoyed themselves in the high-limit room and started gambling.
White was drunk, and that was one of his biggest mistakes. He said, “I continue to drink, having a blast, I end up leaving to go home that night and I lost, like, 80 grand.” But the amount was much more than that.
White continued, “So I wake up the next morning, I’m like, ‘F—. Those m———– got me for 80,000 last night.’ So I’m at work the next day and the host over there calls me and he says, ‘Hey Dana, are you coming back? Do you still need the room that you guys had where you ate and all that s—?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t need the room, but don’t get too comfortable with my f—— 80 grand, I’m coming back for it.’ Dead f—— silence on the other end of the phone. And he’s like, ‘Dana. You lost $3 million last night.’”
It definitely wasn’t the first time White lost money in gambling. Back in 2023, he lost around $6M in blackjack. But when it comes to the on-stage persona, he remains sober and laser-focused. He doesn’t gamble with his fighters. And he definitely doesn’t like it when his fighters mention gambling sites on stage, as was the case with Drakkar Klose.
What do you think of Klose’s story? Do you think the UFC should stay away from every mention of gambling organizations? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post UFC Fighter Forced to Write Apology Letter to Receive $50,000 Bonus After Gambling Site Fumble appeared first on EssentiallySports.
