Roy Nelson apologizes for kicking referee
At UFC Fight Night 95, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 24, 2016, heavyweight Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson stopped Antonio ‘Bigfoot’…
At UFC Fight Night 95, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 24, 2016, heavyweight Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson stopped Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva via strikes in the second. Big Country and Bigfoot are friends, and Nelson felt that McCarthy waited too long to stop the fight, so he kicked him and flipped him off.
You cannot get physical with the ref in any sport anywhere, never mind a combat sport. Nelson later apologized, but “wouldn’t take it back.”
Cristiano Sampaio, director of Brazil’s regulating body, the Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), explained that the incident would be taken up by Brazil’s Superior Justice Court of Sport, which handles judicial questions pertaining to sports in Brazil. The newly formed Superior Justice Court for MMA (STJDMMA) investigated and filed a formal complaint with the STJD. Then the STJDMMA rendered a decision – Nelson was suspended for nine months, and fined $24,000. It could have been as high as a 25-month suspension and a $40,000 fine.
The STJDMMA also offering Nelson a chance to reduce his punishment to a six-month suspension and $13,700 fine. if before December 31, the UFC permitted Nelson to formally apologize to McCarthy inside the Octagon or during some form of press conference, preferably with McCarthy in attendance.
At Friday’s The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale official early weigh-ins at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nelson read from a prepared statement.
First, I’d like to apologize to the fans who make our sport, the Brazilian commission, John McCarthy, the rest of the world, my team, and especially my family for my actions in my last fight,” said Nelson. “My actions were out of character.
I have nothing against anyone, including John McCarthy. I recognize what I did was a mistake and I was wrong. I can’t apologize enough to John McCarthy, the commission, and the MMA fans around the world. I can’t wait to get back in the Octagon to entertain the fans.
If CABMMA finds Nelson’s public apology acceptable, he could be eligible to fight on March 29, 2017.