Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters competing in the state of Nevada might want to think twice about jumping over the cage after a fight.
Unless $2,500 is considered chump change.
According to MMA Fighting, that’s how much coin Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz was fined by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) after leaping over the Octagon following his knockout win over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 last month in Las Vegas (see it here).
Furthermore, after being temporarily suspended for his actions, he will have to pay an additional sum of $327.06 to cover prosecution fees before he can compete again.
NSAC is cracking down on fighters exiting the cage following a fight to avoid a repeat of what happened at UFC 229 last October. After Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor, “The Eagle” jumped over the cage and dove into the crowd to engage in fisticuffs with Conor’s team.
And that was just part of the madness that ensued.
For his part in that near-riot, Khabib was fined a whopping $500,000 by NSAC and suspended for a period of nine months.
According to NSAC, Munhoz was only fined $2,500 since his actions were not done with malicious intent. Moving forward, the athletic commission would prefer to stay consistent with fines pertaining to fighters jumping over the cage, but will still be a case by case basis.
Interestingly enough, Amanda Nunes wasn’t fined after she jumped over the Octagon to shake Dana White’s hand immediately after knocking out Cris Cyborg at UFC 232. An event that occurred three months after the Khabib vs. McGregor brawl.