A pair of UFC fighters were fined for their conduct before and during UFC 244 last week.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) handed down fines to both Corey Anderson and Kelvin Gastelum on Friday, New York State Department of State spokesperson Mercedes Padilla confirmed to ESPN. Anderson was fined the maximum of $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and Gastelum was fined $1,000 for violating a weigh-in policy.
Anderson, 30, was cited for his behavior following his first-round TKO win over Johnny Walker at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. During an exuberant celebration, Anderson yelled at Walker and put his hands on referee Kevin MacDonald to push him aside when MacDonald attempted to restrain him.
Immediately after the bout, Anderson apologized for his conduct in a tweet.
I want to say I apologize to @Johnnywalkermma , fans, friends, family, and my past athletes for the way I behaved. That was no way shape or form who I am as a person or a professional. I was taught to be a good sport. And that was not that. Emotions got the best of me. #ufc244
— Corey Anderson UFC (@CoreyA_MMA) November 3, 2019
Anderson still won a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus from the UFC for the impressive finish.
Gastelum, 28, was fined for violating a NYSAC rule that states a fighter weighing in cannot make physical contact with anything or any person other than the scale. The NYSAC found after reviewing video that Gastelum’s arm was touching his coach Rafael Cordeiro while he was weighing in Nov. 1. Cordeiro was also fined $200. The policy is in place in order to prevent fighters from attempting to game the weigh-in process by redistributing their weight while on the scale.
Gastelum ended up falling to Darren Till by split decision in the UFC 244 co-main event.