It has been a minute since James Krause, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter and successful mixed martial arts (MMA) gym owner, has been in the news for his role in the massive betting scandal in which he allegedly served as an agent for an offshore sportsbook.
But today (Tues, April 29, 2025), Jeff Molina, one of Krause’s top students and a former top UFC prospect, spoke publicly for the first time since he received a three-year suspension for betting against a teammate, calling for the MMA community to apologize to Krause.
“I really think the whole MMA community owes him an apology. This dude is a f—king stand-up guy,” Molina said. “I put myself in this position. I wagered on fights after the UFC said to stop. Krause would have still wagered because he was inactive. This dude was a mastermind of the sport.
“I think he could have been the first Hall of Fame coach, like, legit,” Molina added. “Any fighter who trained with him would say the same. This guy is a f—king wizard, and it sucks that his legacy got tarnished.”
Molina also claimed Krause never bet against his fighters, a statement that’s hard to swallow given Krause’s ongoing investigation and continued suspension.
The 27-year-old Flyweight prospect also shared that the UFC released him, and he’s now signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). He plans to debut later this year, despite a Nevada State Athletic Commission suspension that lasts until November.
“I have no bad blood with the UFC,” Molina said. They changed my life. I’m actually forever grateful that I got to fight amongst the best, and I was ranked at the time. But with the conversation, they pretty much said, ‘We can’t go forward with you under the circumstances after the hearing, and we wish you the best in your future,’ and if I asked for my release, they’d grant it. So I went ahead and did that.”
