New Mexico commission suspends Jason High one year, upholds Sanchez-Pearson decision

Following a Wednesday meeting in Albuquerque, the New Mexico State Athletic Commission suspended UFC Fight Night 42 fighter Jason High one year for pushing referee Kevin Mulhall.

The commission also upheld a controversial split-decision victory that Diego Sanchez (25-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) picked up over Ross Pearson (15-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the June 7 co-headliner, which took place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque.

High (18-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) shoved the ref after the official halted the action in the second round, awarding fellow lightweight Rafael dos Anjos (21-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) the TKO win. High, who was struck with some illegal blows to the back of the head during the fight-ending sequence, sprung to his feet for the brief confrontation with the official.

High ultimately apologized for the shove, but days later, the UFC released the fighter. UFC President Dana White called the company’s decision a “no-brainer,” which can be seen in the below video.

In addition to his yearlong suspension, the commission also fined High 10 percent of his fight purse. According to the UFC Fight Night 42 salaries, High earned $19,000, which would force a fine of $1,900.

Sanchez, meanwhile, will keep his win over fellow lightweight Pearson. Sanchez, who hails from Albuquerque, got the judges’ nod via 27-30, 30-27 and 29-28 scores. However, 14 of 14 media outlets scored the fight for Pearson, according to mmadecisions.com, and 13 of the 14 scored it a 30-27 shutout. Pearson filed an appeal shortly after the event.

However, New Mexico State Athletic Commission chairman Tom King told Sherdog.com the commission’s statutes and rules don’t allow it to change such a decision.

UFC officials, though, paid Pearson his win bonus anyway and will unofficially treat it as a victory for the fight for future matchmaking.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 42, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.