On Saturday, reports emerged that the Nevada State Athletic Commission was withholding the purses of Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett, and Gable Steveson for hopping over the cage in the T-Mobile Arena to celebrate their respective victories at UFC 329 last month. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King reported on social media that the NSAC had summoned the fighters for a disciplinary hearing today, which concluded with each fighter being handed a $2,500 fine. 

A subsequent Reuters report on the hearing reflected on commission chairman Dallas Haun’s thoughts about how these safety measures allow guests and fans to enjoy their time in Nevada.  

“Here in Nevada, we’re ​very clear with the fighters that you do not leave the ​cage for any reason,” Dallas Haun said, as per Reuters. “In the city of Las Vegas, we want our guests to have a good time, ​but we also want them to be safe.”

Following this, the commission’s chairman also brought up the pandemonium that unfolded in the stands right after the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor bout at UFC 229 eight years ago.

“We had close to 10 minutes of complete chaos,” Haun stated.

Reuters noted that Haun specifically pointed out how Nevada police had to control the chaos among the spectators that erupted at UFC 229. After Khabib jumped the cage and went after McGregor’s team, a separate altercation also broke out among the guys in both camps inside T-Mobile Arena. TMZ footage following the fight showed police trying to control fans who attempted to confront each other after the matchup.

As a result, ‘The Eagle’ was handed a hefty $500,000 fine and a nine-month suspension by NSAC for jumping the cage. While hopping over the cage mandate is exclusive to the Nevada state commission, Haun bringing up the infamous moment from UFC 229 underlines the necessity of the rule. But the UFC 329 fighters in this case did nothing close to it.

Max Holloway, Gable Steveson, and Paddy Pimblett simply jumped over the cage and shook hands with Dana White in celebration, something the commission appreciated, but still warned them against hopping the cage in the future.

“So these three, they’re jumping the cage ​to shake [Dana White’s] hand, and we appreciate the ​difference,” the Chairman added. “Someone from the crowd behind Dana screaming something could change that in an instant. I get the celebration, I ⁠get ​the emotion that goes on between ​all these guys, including Dana, and his energy and positive energy for everything ​that’s going on. But it just can’t happen anymore.”

The $2,500 fines represent a relatively small deduction from the fighters’ purses. However, Haun’s comments suggest that the commission could take a harsher approach if any of the three fighters, or others, repeat the violation.

Not everyone agrees with the NSAC’s stance, though. Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier has been particularly critical of the regulation, calling it an absurd restriction on fighters celebrating their victories.

Daniel Cormier goes off on NSAC for withholding UFC 329 fighters’ purses

After the NSAC withheld the purses of Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett, and Gable Steveson, Daniel Cormier became one of the prominent voices to criticize the commission over the rule. According to the former two-division UFC champion, the commission’s regulation of disciplining fighters for hopping the cage is absurd.

“Look, man, we got rules, right?” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “You can’t kick each other in the nuts. You should not poke each other in the eye, and you should not do certain things when you’re fighting. To tell a fighter not to celebrate with enthusiasm is absurd.

“Because now you’re telling me that Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett, and Gable Steveson are going to go in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission because of their celebrations. They jumped on top of the cage.”

Further, Cormier pointed out that fighters often experience a sense of euphoria after winning a crucial fight in their careers. He brought up Max Holloway getting his revenge over Conor McGregor after losing their first fight 13 years ago. Similarly, Cormier also pointed to Paddy Pimblett getting back into the win column by beating Benoit Saint Denis after a brutal loss against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324, as well as Gable Steveson making his UFC debut with a victory over Elisha Ellison.

Given the significance of those moments, the UFC veteran believes fighters should be allowed to express their emotions without facing punishment as long as they aren’t putting anyone in danger.

The former champion also recalled his own experience after defeating Stipe Miocic to become a two-division UFC champion in 2018. After his win at UFC 226, Cormier jumped over the cage after the victory but did not receive a similar punishment from the commission, despite the bout taking place at the same T-Mobile Arena.

But despite Daniel Cormier’s disdain for the rule, fighters may now think twice before hopping the cage, especially after the NSAC held a proper hearing and punished three marquee fighters with fines.