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Dana White has shared his stance on the three UFC 329 fighters who were fined.
Max Holloway, who headlined the International Fight Week card, Paddy Pimblett, and Gable Steveson all hopped the Octagon fence after emerging victorious in Las Vegas on July 11. While it's the most popular celebratory gesture in MMA, it often draws the ire of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As a result, all three men were fined despite backlash from the likes of UFC Hall of Famers Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping.
White isn't nearly as harsh on the NSAC as others, but when speaking to reporters during a recent Contender Series scrum, the UFC boss said there should be more of an understanding depending on whether or not the celebration actually caused an issue (via MMAJunkie).
“It's one of those tough things because these guys get so excited,†White said. “When you're caught up in the moment, when you think about how hard they train, they're gone from their families, they cut weight, they do all this stuff, and then they win, they're not thinking about fines or any of that stuff. What I think should happen is if you jump out of the cage to do something violent, then you should get fined… The perfect example is Khabib (Nurmagomedov) when he went after (Conor McGregor). Those type of things. But if you just get overly excited and you jump out of the cage, I don't think that's a big deal.â€
The likes of Bisping have slammed athletic commissions for taking money out of fighters' pockets. The NSAC defended their decision and have pointed to the aforementioned 2018 incident where Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped out of the Octagon to attack Dillon Danis, a member of Conor McGregor's team.
Whether or not the NSAC will eventually soften its stance on the most popular post-fight celebration in the sport remains to be seen.
Do you agree with Dana White's take on the NSAC fining MMA fighters for jumping the cage fence? Share your opinion in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM