Arman Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes face potential discipline after both fighters were involved in altercations at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.
During a meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, details were revealed about the purses and money withheld from the fighters until a full disciplinary hearing can be held in May.
According to a report read by Nevada Deputy Attorney General Matthew Feeley, Tsarukyan earned $158,000 for his win over Charles Oliveira and $31,600 was withheld, which represented 20 percent of his purse.
Tsarukyan faces potential punishment after he got into an altercation with a fan during his walk to the octagon at UFC 300. The commission noted that the fan involved in the incident opted not to press charges against Tsarukyan.
Following his win, Tsarukyan addressed the incident at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference where he claimed the fan flipped him off with his middle finger, which led to him throwing a punch at the fan before security intervened.
“He showed me ‘F*ck you’ and he wanted to punch me and I wanted to punch him back,” Tsarukyan said. “That’s it. So guys, no one show me ‘F*ck you.’ It doesn’t matter who you are, I’m going to punch you in the face. You can show me ‘F*ck’ from like 200 meters, I’m not going to punch you. But when you’re close to me, it’s, like automatically, I’m from Russia. Don’t do that, please, or I’m going to go to prison in U.S.”
The commission agreed to continue withholding the $31,600 from Tsarukyan’s purse until a full disciplinary hearing takes place at the next meeting in May.
As for Lopes, he earned $100,000 for his first-round knockout win over Sodiq Yusuff with the commission withholding $5,000 from his purse after he jumped into the crowd following his win, which he was specifically advised not to do.
One of the commissioners, who attended UFC 300, noted that Lopes climbed on top of the cage and motioned to UFC CEO Dana White about jumping outside the octagon. The commissioner claimed White waived him down to give him permission with the UFC executive allegedly stating “I will pay his fine.”
As a result, part of Lopes’ purse was withheld.
The $5,000 will remain on hold with the Nevada Commission until a full disciplinary hearing can be held at the next meeting scheduled in May.
The commissioners also asked for video evidence, specifically regarding the altercation with Tsarukyan, so that could be reviewed before any potential punishment was handed down.
