Nelson apologizes for postfight 'push' of referee, but doesn't regret it
Roy Nelson was feeling more hostile toward the referee than his opponent Saturday.
After knocking out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brazil, a frustrated Nelson nudged official John McCarthy from behind with his foot. Nelson could also be seen yelling at McCarthy in protest of what he perceived to be a late stoppage that forced him to dish out unnecessary damage to Silva.
Related: Nelson clobbers Silva for 2nd-round KO
At the postfight press conference, Nelson confirmed he was disappointed in McCarthy's decision-making.
"I didn't want to hurt Bigfoot more than I had to," he said, according to MMA Fighting's Shaun Al-Shatti. "And I got taken by the moment, because it's like, I'm beating the s--- out of somebody and you're like, dude, enough is enough. And for me, it hurt my feelings.
"And I apologize to Big John, but I wouldn't take it back. It just hurt me, that I've got to keep on hitting a guy that doesn't need to be hit."
It's unclear if Nelson will face any punishment for making contact with an official. The confrontation was similar to a June 2014 bout that saw Jason High shove referee Kevin Mulhall after a controversial TKO stoppage. UFC president Dana White immediately released High following that incident.
Nelson, however, downplayed the level of physicality involved, as well as any tension between himself and McCarthy.
"It was a push," Nelson said. "It was more of like, dude, come on.
"Then we had a conversation in the cage. I was like, 'Dude, he was knocked out.' And (McCarthy) was like, 'No, he wasn't.' And I'm like, dude, I know what a knockout is. I knock people out. That's what I do for a living. I know what a knockout is. Just because the guy didn't roll his eyes into the back of his head, or shake, or whatever ... it was just one of those things."
Perhaps McCarthy will consider trusting Nelson's instincts next time, as the fighter now has eight KOs inside the Octagon, putting him in a tie for third-most in UFC heavyweight history.