Roy Nelson came under fire from the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission for kicking and pushing referee “Big” John McCarthy after he felt that the referee allowed opponent Antonio Silva to take too much punishment at UFC Fight Night 95.
Originally, the Brazilian Superior Justice Court Of MMA fined Nelson $23,400 and suspended the fighter 9 months for the incident, but an apology from Nelson would cut the fine an half and reduce the suspension to 6 month.
Nelson appeared at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale Weigh-In, where he offered the following apology.
“First I would like to apologize to the fans, who make our sport,” Nelson said. “The Brazilian commission, John McCarthy, and the rest of the world, my team and especially my family, for my actions in my last fight. My actions were out of character. I have nothing against anyone, including John McCarthy. I recognize what I did was a mistake was wrong. I can’t apologize enough to John McCarthy, the commission and MMA fans around the world. I can’t wait to get back into the octagon to entertain the fans.”
Assuming the CABMMA accepts the public apology from Nelson, he could return to action on March 30 of 2017, his fine would also be cut a half to $11,700. The CABMMA, John McCarthy nor the UFC have issued any kind of response to the apology offered by Nelson.
