Andreas Spang may need to work on his anger management before the Bellator middleweight tournament finals or it could cost him even more money.
Spang stepped in on short notice to face Ohio native Brian Rogers in Cleveland on Friday and before the fight even took place, Spang shoved his opponent at the weigh-ins.
He followed up that incident with a rousing come from behind victory to knockout Rogers in an exciting bout to earn a slot in the middleweight tournament finals against former UFC fighter Maiquel Falcao.
Bellator officials then brought in Falcao to face off with Spang in the cage, and that’s when things turned ugly.
Spang once again shoved his opponent, and Falcao fired back looking to scrap after being pushed.
Now the Ohio State Athletic Commission has made their ruling, including a heavy fine for Spang’s lashing out that involved two incidents before and after the fights.
“Spang initiated the incident which was being televised, plus started an incident at the weigh-in with Rogers the night before. He was fined 20% of his pay and avoided any suspension so he is eligible for the next fight,” Ohio State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato revealed to MMAWeekly.com on Monday.
“Falcao was pushed so hard he fell backwards and was grabbed by his camp and was stopped before any further issues could occur.”
Profato made it clear that Spang’s actions or any fighter who chooses to act in an unprofessional manner will be met with stiff penalties should they choose to behave that way in the Buckeye state.
“These kind of actions will not be tolerated with in Ohio,” said Profato. “There are four requrements we ask – self respect, respect for your opponent, respect for the sport and those that promote and regulate the sport, and self discipline.”
Spang was paid $15,000 for his show money and an additional $15,000 for his win bonus. All total, the penalty will cost the Bellator fighter $6,000 for his transgressions last weekend.
The positive side however is the Ohio commission will not suspend Spang so he will still be eligible to face Falcao in the Bellator middleweight tournament finals later this year.
The full pay release for the Bellator show in Cleveland is listed below including main eventers Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki.
Bellator 66 Pay Outs:
Eddie Alvarez: $100,000 ($50,000 to show, $50,000 to win)
Shinya Aoki: $60,000 ($6,000,000 yen)
Andreas Spang $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)*
Brian Rogers: $15,000
Maiquel Falcao: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky: $15,000
Rick Hawn: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Lloyd Woodard: $15,000
Brent Weedman: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Thiago Michel Silva: $15,000
Attila Veigh: $6,000 ($3,000 to show, $3,000 to win)
Dan Spohn: $1,800
John Hawk: $3000 ($1500 to show, $1500 to win)
Marcus Vanttinen: $2000
Frank Caraballo: $3600 ($1800 to show, $1800 to win)
Donny Walker: $1500
Jessica Eye: $7000 ($3500 to show, $3500 to won)
Anita Rodriguez: $2000
Julian Lane: $1400 ($700 to show, $700 to win)
Joe Helland: $1250
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