Roy Nelson Kicks ‘Big’ John McCarthy, Gives Him Bird After Defeating ‘Bigfoot’ Silva — ‘Big Country’ Explains Actions At Post-Fight Presser

Roy “Big Country” Nelson, a popular mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter competing in the UFC, did something very peculiar after he knocked out his opponent, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, at UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg. “Big Country” kicked and flipped the bird to the referee, “Big” John McCarthy. Later on, at the post-fight presser, Nelson explained his actions.

According to the official website for UFC, it shows that the third fight on the main card at UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg would be a heavyweight fight between Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva. This fight was necessary for both fighters because they have been mostly unsuccessful over the past three years. For Nelson, he has lost six of his last eight fights. As for Silva, he has lost five of his last eight fights, with one win being overtuned into a “no contest” after he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

In short, both Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva needed this victory. For more seasoned MMA fans, they probably saw the fight as UFC putting both of their contracts on the line. The loser will most likely find themselves handed a pink slip.

In the end, Roy Nelson came out the victor with a knockout victory over Antonio Silva, 4:10 into the second round. However, it is what happened after he was proclaimed the victor that things got interesting.

According to a written article by Fox Sports, Nelson threw his hands up in the air after referee John McCarthy stopped the fight. He then went back and kicked McCarthy, and followed that up with a flip of the middle finger. Nelson’s actions suggests he was angry that McCarthy took too long to stop the fight because he believed Silva was taking unnecessary punishment, as he detailed in the post-fight presser.

“When I hit ‘Bigfoot,’ I already knew I knocked him out with my first punch and then I got him one more time. In my head it was so slo-mo like I’m having a conversation with John going, ‘Hey man, how’s the weather over there?’ That’s what it felt like. I’m friends with ‘Bigfoot’ and he has a family. I don’t need to keep on punching him in his face.”

Roy Nelson later revealed he argued with John McCarthy about Antonio Silva being knocked out. Apparently, Nelson believed the fight was over after he connected with an initial uppercut, the one that dropped Silva.

Roy Nelson KO's Bigfoot Silva with a huge right hand + ground and pound! #UFCBrasilia https://t.co/r5xkSKmH5W

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) September 25, 2016

Even if Roy Nelson was expressing his disdain towards “Big” John McCarthy, a referee many in the MMA community believe is incompetent in his job for either stopping fights too early or too late, it could be seen as grounds for punishment. Fortunately for Nelson, the UFC Senior Vice President and General Manager of Brazil, Giovani Decker, made it known that UFC would not punish him for the incident, as reported by MMA Fighting. However, if any action were to be taken, it would have to be through the Brazilian Athletic Commission (CABMMA).

Eventually, Roy Nelson did provide some sort of apology for his actions. The reason for it being “sort of” an apology is that he still would not take back what he did.

“And I got taken by the moment, because it’s like I’m beating the sh*t 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.”

[Featured Image by Gregory Payan/AP Images]