Longtime UFC heavyweight slugger Roy “Big Country” Nelson is coming off of an impressive second round knockout over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva this past September in Brazil, but the bout didn’t end without controversy as Nelson essentially kicked veteran referee John McCarthy because he felt as if it was a late stoppage.
Now, Nelson will pay for his actions, as he has been suspended nine months and fined $24,000 by the Brazilian Superior Justice Court of MMA (STJDMMA), who described “Big Country’s” actions as “assault and unethical behavior”, per MMAFighting.com. The suspension is retroactive to the date of the fight, which was Sept. 24, 2016.
According to the STJDMMA, the maximum punishment was a 25-month suspension and a $40,000 fine, but STJDMMA President Marcelo Sedlmayer Jorge elected to hand Nelson the lesser option. In fact, Jorge had first planned to give Nelson a one-year suspension and a $33,000 fine, but he held back given the fact that Nelson didn’t intend to inflict any harm on McCarthy, which he mentioned in his explanation.
As far as Nelson’s explanation goes, it was heard by the STJDMMA, but the court said that “the athlete has an obligation to respect the honor, preserve the health, and physical and moral integrity of the referee.”
“Big Country”, however, could potentially reduce his punishment as the STJDMMA is willing to give him a six-month suspension and a $13,700 fine if he formally apologizes to McCarthy inside of the Octagon or at a press conference prior to Dec. 31, 2016.
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