Things have gone from bad to worse for Jason High of late. It all started when he took a TKO loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov, and took a few shots to the back of the head in the process. Whether it was the illegal blows, or his anger at the fight being stopped, High lashed out at referee Kevin Mulhall, giving him a bit of a shove in the process. And while he is a fighter, and while emotions were, no doubt, running high, physical altercation with an official is the sort of thing that is always dealt with sternly. For High, being "dealt with," meant being cut. A bit harsh considering the ultimately minor nature or High's interaction, but, perhaps unsurprising given the UFC's shoot first, ask later approach to problem solving. If all that weren't enough, it appears that High has been handed a 12 month suspension by the New Mexico State Athletic Commission. MMA Fighting has the report.
Immediately after the incident, High apologized to Mulhall in person and via Twitter. Chairman King said that had he not done that, the punishment would have been more severe.
He apologized to the referee and got on Twitter," King said. "That's why it's only a year.
"You do not hit or push an official ever and certainly not in New Mexico."
Apparently, High has been fined $1,900 as well, for the infraction (or 10% of his purse from the event). And, while High may not have any plans on fighting in New Mexico again soon, he will have to report his suspension as part of his application for any other state's fight license. High could very likely travel overseas if he wants to keep fighting soon, but if he wants to stay in the US, he'll likely have to sit out the whole year. High could potentially appeal the suspension, but the attitude of the commission seems to be that he was lucky to get away with as little as he did.
In additional news, the NMSAC also reviewed the decision given in the Diego Sanchez/Ross Pearson fight and decided that there were no current statutes that would allow them to overturn the decision, but that King said he would be speaking to the judges that gave the fight to Sanchez, to find out what was at the root of their decision making process.