Nevada Athletic Commission fines Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett and Gable Steveson after UFC 329 cage-wall celebration

LAS VEGAS, Nev. Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett and Gable Steveson were fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission for jumping over the cage following their wins at UFC 329 in July, according to a report from Yahoo Sports published Tuesday. The commission also withheld their fight purses until the Nevada Athletic Commission’s upcoming meeting in Las Vegas, a process that underscores how Nevada enforces conduct rules tied directly to event licensing and fighter compensation.

The incident involves a post-fight celebration that went past the usual boundary of stepping into the referee-tended area. The report says all three fighters jumped over the cage wall in celebration of their respective victories, prompting commission action afterward. While cage-related choreography is common in the sport’s culture, commissions treat any breach of the fencing area as a rule matter rather than a show-of-moment photo opportunity.

Holloway’s UFC 329 win came against Conor McGregor, with Yahoo’s accompanying photo caption noting a first-round injury TKO. Even for established main-event names, the commission’s decision makes clear that the event’s governing body can impose consequences after the bout, separate from the result itself, when conduct crosses the line into restricted areas.

For Pimblett and Steveson, the same pattern applies. The report frames the fines as disciplinary measures stemming from the same celebration choice, not as punishment tied to the athletic outcome. In other words, the commission’s action focuses on the method and location of the celebration, not on whether the fighters secured a particular kind of victory.

Commission penalties such as fines and purse holds can carry practical weight beyond the immediate financial impact. Withholds effectively delay payment until the commission signs off in its formal meeting process, and that timing can affect how quickly fighters are paid after the bout month. It also sends an in-league reminder that post-fight conduct is reviewed like any other part of the event’s compliance system.

What to watch next is whether the Nevada Athletic Commission expands on the rationale in its meeting documentation, such as whether it emphasizes deterrence or consistency across prior incidents. UFC and its competitors generally manage these matters case by case, but repeated enforcement can shape how fighters celebrate inside the cage environment, especially in Nevada where the commission’s authority is central to event operations.

In the meantime, the fines stand as another example of MMA’s modern era balancing showmanship with controlled boundaries, particularly when celebrations move from inside the prescribed areas to beyond the cage wall.