Oklahoma State Athletic Commission explains 'possible' $15,000 fine for Roan Carneiro after being late for a pre-fight physical

After beating three men in one night to capture the BattleGrounds MMA welterweight tournament last Friday night (Oct. 3, 2014) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Roan Carneiro suffered a brutal loss in the form of getting docked $15,000 from his winnings (details).

The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission (OSAC) fined Roan that staggering amount -- which was 30-percent of his $50,000 grand prize -- for being late for a physical, according to teammate Douglas Lima.

In a statement released to MMA Fighting, OSAC Executive Director Joe Miller stated that the mind-boggling fine -- which still has to go through a hearing for it to be final -- was due to the fact the Roan was over an hour late for a physical and was unresponsive to texts from commission members when they tried to contact him.

Miller explains:

"At weigh in, which occurred at 12 noon Thursday, October 2, I gave my rules meeting as I normally do. During the rules meeting I was very specific (four times) I told the fighters, coaches, seconds, etc, that they must report for their pre-bout physicals at 7:00 and gave the location, which was in the hotel that the fighters were staying in. I also made comment that if they did not show up on time that I may cancel their bout, they may be suspended, or fined. The Commission showed up at the physical room in the hotel at 6:30. The four docs showed up a little before 7:00. Carneiro was not present. He was called and texted with no reply. He finally replied to a text at about 7:15 and said he was on his way down. He was texted again about 10-15 minutes later and did not reply. All of the fighters had completed their physicals and the docs were asking where Carneiro was. He finally showed up at 8:05. The commission withheld 30 percent of his purse, pending a hearing, which is our standard procedure for fighters who show up late to a weigh-in, check-in or physical exam. Carneiro will receive a certified letter from the commission ('Notice of Hearing') describing his violation and giving him the right to explain and appeal. Upon conclusion of the hearing there will be a findings of fact and an order issued. That order will include any punishment that Carneiro will receive for rule violations. I cannot tell you at this time what that punishment will be."

Sounds like a legit gripe.

But according to Roan, who appeared on the recent edition of The MMA Hour, he said that he wasn't late for anything.

"So my manager is in contact with them, but I just want to explain my side. I was not late at all. They said they wanted to start at 7:00. The weigh-ins were on Thursday at 12:00 pm. So I finish the weigh-ins, then I go take a lunch, eat a little bit, I was dehydrated. I was waiting for the doctors to put the IV in me. The whole time, I was texting the promoters to ask them where the doctors were. I went upstairs to my room, then downstairs to the lobby to find the doctor and commission to finish my physical. They finally put the IV in me, you know? I think they don't understand my side. I tried to understand my side, I was not late. I was there the whole time. When I got there, the doctors come talk to me and they don't notice me for anything late or tell me I was late or that they were going to fine me. I just heard that when I got the money it was just $35,000. I asked the promoter what happened, and they told me I got a fine because I was late in physical and this and that. So, now my manager is going to try and make a solution with them."

For now, Roan's management team is tackling the issue with OSAC and can also look forward to their upcoming hearing.

Stay tuned.