Bellator MW Champion Rafael Carvalho Fined $5000 For Jumping Out of the Cage at Bellator 176

Bellator MMA middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho's luggage coming back from Italy might have been reassuringly heavy with his title belt still in tow, but he is lighter in the wallet.

Following his successful title defense against Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 176 in Turin, Italy, on April 8, Carvalho was fined $5000 for jumping out of the cage. The fine was imposed by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), which regulated the event.

MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani broke the news on Monday, confirming the news with Bellator officials.

“That happened, but I didn’t understand why because it wasn’t in the contract or anything like that,” Carvalho told MMAFighting. The Brazilian stated that the fine had been automatically deducted from his purse. “I don't understand why I was fined. We will see what we can do about it. I’ll talk to my lawyer and tell him everything that’s happened, show him the contract, and see what happens.”

The 30-year-old Carvalho's victory came via a brutal, fourth-round head kick that knocked Manhoef stiff and improved his pro record to 14-1 and 5-0 in Bellator. At Bellator 155 in May of last year, Carvalho earned a controversial split decision win over Manhoef in a widely panned 25-minute bout in Boise, Idaho.