Rony Jason Suspended for Unsportsmanlike Conduct After Locker Room Incident

After his loss at UFC Fight Night 32, featherweight Rony Jason took out his frustrations on a locker room door. Jason has now been suspended for that outburst.

The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission has put Jason on ice for 30 days for unsportsmanlike conduct in the wake of the incident, according to a report from MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz.

That suspension is on top of the 180-day medical suspension Jason received Monday from the same commission, presumably as a result of the gash he opened on his arm after elbow-smashing a door in his locker room following his knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens. The cut reportedly required 15 stitches to close.

Adding the suspensions together, Jason will not be eligible to fight again until June 2014. Though he remains a top prospect at 145 pounds, the lengthy time off—not to mention the reasons behind it—will surely rob Jason of substantial momentum, particularly in the crowded featherweight division.

Losing is certainly a foreign sensation for the 29-year-old Jason (13-4). Coming into Fight Night 32, Jason had won his last eight professional bouts, including winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

After defeating Godofredo Castro to win the season, Jason was considered one of the hottest featherweight prospects in the sport. He followed that win with a Knockout of the Night-winning performance against Sam Sicilia at UFC 153. A win in June over Mike Wilkinson put Jason at 3-0 under the UFC banner.

But Jason will need to start a new streak after Fight Night 32. Jason was clearly excited to fight in front of his Brazilian countrymen, and action was relatively minimal for the first half-minute of the fight. But a head kick from Stephens changed all that. Jason hit the canvas hard, and an academic ground shot sealed the deal. Stephens received the win by KO at 40 seconds in the very first round.

For his part, UFC president Dana White seemed nonplussed by Jason's actions in the locker room after losing to Stephens.

"You do stupid stuff sometimes," White said at the post-fight press conference. "I don’t think he expected to slice his arm open and get hurt, but it happens."