UFC 303 fighter fined portion of fight purse for breaking rule after controversial loss
A UFC 303 fighter has reportedly been handed a punishment for an infraction that transpired at their hands at the event. The athlete has been fined a certain portion of their fight purse for breaking a rule in the wake of their controversial loss.
The UFC 303 (June 29, 2024) card and its build-up was marred by utter chaos. Another contentious occurrence was during the UFC women's bantamweight bout between former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva and fellow contender Macy Chiasson.
Silva sustained a cut over her right eye courtesy of a Chiasson elbow in round two. Referee Chris Tognoni called for a pause in action. The octagon-side physician examined the cut and notified Tognoni that it was deep.
Tognoni waved the fight off, and Chiasson won via second-round TKO (doctor's stoppage). Silva was livid at the stoppage. She expressed her disapproval of the same by gesturing against it and scaling the octagon fence to head out.
A recent report by MMA Fighting indicated that Jeff Mullen, Executive Director of the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission), filed a formal complaint against Mayra Bueno Silva for breaking the NSAC's rules by scaling the octagon fence. Ergo, pending further review, an amount of $2.5k from Silva's fight purse of $100k was withheld.
At an NSAC meeting that took place on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, the aforementioned sum of $2.5k was taken as Silva's fine and the case was deemed resolved. 'Sheetara' also had to pay an extra $157 as prosecution fees. The veteran fighter avoided any additional punishment.
After the fight was stopped and Silva jumped over the fence, she went right to UFC CEO and president Dana White to protest against the stoppage. White appeared to urge her to get the gruesome cut tended to immediately.
Watch White's reaction after the UFC 303 match below:
Mayra Bueno Silva condemned UFC 303 stoppage, eyes triumphant return
Mayra Bueno Silva's past three octagon appearances have seen her suffer significant setbacks. The Brazilian MMA stalwart defeated former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm via second-round submission in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July 2023. However, her victory was later overturned to an NC (No Contest), as she tested positive for ritalinic acid.
Silva attributed it to the medication she was using to battle her ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The NSAC handed her a four-and-a-half-month suspension and fined $11,250 (15 percent of her fight purse). 'Sheetara' also had to pay $314.08 in prosecution fees and was tasked with undergoing supplemental drug testing (on the 30, 15, and three-day marks before her next fight).
Furthermore, Silva faced Raquel Pennington for the vacant UFC women's bantamweight title at UFC 297 in Jan. 2024 and was defeated via unanimous decision. Silva's next fight was the anticlimactic second-round TKO loss against Macy Chiasson at UFC 303 in June 2024.
Regardless, Silva took to Instagram, disagreed with the officials' decision-making, and promised a comeback. An excerpt from the statement in her post read:
"I don't agree with the result because who comes in there knows the dangers that can occur, I was 100% aware and lucid. Well, I can say soon be back."