The Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding partial purses
from Arman
Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes
for separate infractions at UFC
300.
The NSAC voted during a meeting on Tuesday to withhold 20 percent
($31,600) of Tsarukyan’s $158,000 purse due to the lightweight
throwing a punch at a fan during his walk to the cage. Meanwhile,
five percent ($5,000) of Lopez’s $100,000 purse has been withheld
after he jumped out of the cage to celebrate his win against
Sodiq
Yusuff. Both Tsarukyan and Lopes will be subject to a
disciplinary hearing at a later date, potentially at the next
commission meeting on May 31. Until then, the fine money will
remain in the commission’s possession. UFC 300 took place on April
13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Tsarukyan claimed that he threw a punch into the crowd because a
fan flipped the bird at him during the walkout.
“He showed me f—k you [flipped the bird] and wanted to punch me,
and I wanted to punch him back, that’s it,” Tsarukyan said after
UFC 300. “So guys, like no one show me f—k you. Doesn’t matter who
you are, I’m going to punch you in the face. You can show me f—k
from like 200 meters, I’m not going to punch you. But when you’re
close to me, it’s like automatically, I’m like from Russia. Like
don’t do that, please, or I’m going to go to the prison in
U.S.”
The fan later
apologized to Tsarukyan and stated that he didn’t want to press
charges, something that NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen
confirmed during Tuesday’s meeting. Tsarukyan defeated Charles
Oliveira via split decision at UFC 300.
Meanwhile, Lopes appeared to ask permission from UFC CEO Dana White
before hopping over the cage following his stoppage of Yusuff.
Mullen revealed on Tuesday that White told him at that time the he
would pay Lopes’ fine for leaving the Octagon.
