Yahoo Sports Roy Nelson Gets Penalty for Kicking Referee Reduced After Apology
Roy Nelson has had his penalty for kicking referee John McCarthy following his last fight reduced following a recent public apology.
Nelson knocked out Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 95 main card bout on Sept. 24, but what he did following the fight overshadowed the knockout victory.
Nelson felt referee “Big” John McCarthy let the fight go on too long. As Silva was on his back on the canvas, and McCarthy was tending to him, Nelson gave McCarthy a kick to the backside. He then flipped off the referee while yelling expletive filled insults.
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Nelson faced a maximum penalty of a 25-month suspension and $40,000 fine for his actions. He was ultimately given a nine-month suspension and roughly a $23,000 fine. Nelson issued a public apology to McCarthy on Dec. 2 in an attempt to get his sentence reduced further, per a request by the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), which regulated the event.
UFC president Dana White wasn't impressed by Nelson's apology, saying during a UFC Unfiltered podcast, “Here’s the problem with the apology, right after the fight at the post-fight press conference, they asked him a question like, ‘why did you do that?’ He said something like, ‘I did it, but I’m not sorry I did it. I did it, and I’d do it again,’ or something like that,” White pointed out. “Coming back to apologize just so you can get a lighter sentence doesn’t really seem like an apology to me.”
White's opinion didn't factor into the decision of CABMMA officials, who, after verifying that Nelson made the apology, further reduced his penalty to a six-month suspension and a fine of $13,700. Nelson's suspension will be fulfilled on March 29, 2017.
CABMMA officials notified MMAWeekly.com on Thursday of Nelson's reduced penalty.
