The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has some high-profile disciplinary cases on their agenda for an upcoming meeting on April 30th involving recent incidents at UFC events in Las Vegas. Among them are hearings on withholding the UFC 300 purses of Arman Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes.
Tsarukyan is facing scrutiny for punching a fan while making his walkout to the octagon before his fight. Lopes, meanwhile, is being looked at for climbing over the cage fence after scoring a first-round knockout over Sodiq Yusuff, though he did not attack anyone or enter the crowd area.
Also on the docket is a hearing regarding punishment for Igor Severino, who was disqualified for biting his opponent during a UFC Fight Night event. The NAC lists potential suspension or adjudication agreements for Severino.
Curiously, while Severino is facing potential suspension, the commission appears to only be pursuing the withholding of fight purses for Tsarukyan and Lopes at this stage. No temporary suspensions are mentioned for the latter two fighters.
Lopes seemed surprised by the news, reacting with a “laughing sweat” emoji on X (formerly Twitter) after becoming aware of the hearing to withhold his earnings. Reports indicate his management and the UFC are communicating with the NAC to resolve the situation.
The varying disciplinary approaches have raised questions about the commission’s priorities and disciplinary philosophies. While biting and punching fans are clear violations, simply climbing the cage fence after a legitimate win seems a relatively minor infraction to pursue financial punishment over.
The outcomes of these hearings could send significant messages about what lines the NAC considers zero-tolerance policies versus warning territory when it comes to fighter behavior and rule violations in Nevada.
