Jason High shoving referee at UFC Fight Night 42 could lead to suspension, fines

Immediately after referee Kevin Mulhall stepped in to separate Rafael dos Anjos from Jason High at last night's (Sat., June 7, 2014) UFC Fight Night 42 event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, High protested. The stoppage came after a hard shot put "The Kansas City Bandit" down on the mat and he failed to adequately answer the follow up punches, at least to Mulhall's liking.

So the referee stepped in.

And High pushed back ... literally.

As he stood up, he shoved Mulhall away and sulked in his anger and despair. It was a decision that will likely cost him.

When asked at the post-fight press conference if disciplinary action will be handed down, UFC Senior Director of Public Relations Dave Sholler had the following to say (via MMA Fighting):

"Ultimately that decision's going to be ultimately up to the commission when you talk about fines or suspensions. On behalf of the organization, completely unacceptable. You can't put your hands on an official. In the heat of the moment a lot of things can happen, but you can't put your hands on the official. So we'll regroup on Monday with the executive team and we'll figure out if there's any other things that need to happen. But ultimately, from a decision-making standpoint, from fines and suspensions, that's up to commissioner [Thomas] King."

For his part, High knew he made a big mistake and publicly apologized via Twitter:

Incredibly sorry & embarrassed for the ref incident. Will never happen again.

— Marcelino Evil (@KCBanditMMA) June 8, 2014

We'll keep you up to date on any punishment that may (or may not) be handed down.