Roy Nelson's kick of John McCarthy at UFC Fight Night 95 could land him in Brazilian sports court

The Brazilian commission overseeing this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 95 apparently won’t let Roy Nelson’s post-fight actions slide.

After Nelson vented his frustration with a stoppage win over Antonio Silva by kicking and then flipping off referee “Big” John McCarthy, the Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA, or CABMMA, announced the incident will be addressed by a Brazilian court.

CABMMA spokesperson Cristiano Sampaio claimed today that Nelson’s case will be taken up by the Superior Justice Court of Sport, which handles judicial questions pertaining to sports in Brazil.

“Even though CABMMA understands Roy Nelson’s ‘frustration’ in that situation due to his close relationship with his opponent, that does not justify his act and can open a serious and dangerous precedent in the sport,” Sampaio wrote in an email to MMAjunkie. “We, as the regulation body of MMA in Brazil and member of the Association of Boxing Commissions, will not tolerate such conduct.

“All the licensed professionals involved have to act accordingly, respecting the rules, commission, promoter and fans, where unsportsmanlike behavior will be subject to fines and suspensions.”

There is nothing in the Unified Rules of MMA that explicitly addresses aggressive contact with a referee, but it’s generally considered unsportsmanlike conduct. In June 2014, Jason High was suspended by the New Mexico State Athletic Commission for shoving a referee, prompting the UFC to release him from his contract.

MMAjunkie was not immediately able to reach Nelson (22-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) or Silva (19-10-1 MMA, 3-7-1 UFC) for comment. At the post-event press conference for UFC Fight Night 95, which took place at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil, and aired live on FS1, “Big Country” claimed he pushed McCarthy with his foot and cursed because he thought the veteran official stopped him too late, causing Silva to take excess damage.

“It’s like a cop beating the (expletive) out of somebody,” Nelson said. “It’s like, dude, enough’s enough. It hurt my feelings.

“I apologized to ‘Big’ John, but I wouldn’t take it back. It just hurt me that I had to keep on hitting a guy that didn’t need to be hit.”

An email to the UFC’s VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner wasn’t immediately returned.

Sampaio claimed the Superior Justice Court of Sport will handle Nelson’s case directly, though it’s not exactly clear how the process will play out. The spokesperson claimed several members of the court were watching the heavyweight fight and added, “CABMMA does not have to file a legal complaint; it’s (the court’s) duty to start an immediate investigation.” MMAjunkie wasn’t immediately able to verify whether a complaint against Nelson has been filed.

In the UFC’s home state of Nevada, disciplinary proceedings are initiated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees professional combat sports in the state. If a fighter is alleged to have broken the rules, the NSAC’s executive director works with the state’s attorney general office to draft a legal complaint against the fighter. The complaint is then presented at a hearing with the attorney general presenting the complaint to the commission, which decides whether to take action against the fighter.

For Nelson, the No. 15 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, the second-round TKO of Silva put him back in the win column after a decision loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 90 in July. Silva, meanwhile, dropped to 1-5 in his previous six outings.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 95, check out the UFC Events section of the site.