UFC 244 doctor fears for his life after threats from furious fans - INSIDER

Dr. Nitin K. Sethi talks to Nate Diaz.Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

• A UFC doctor has been threatened and called "f------ scum" for calling an end to the Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz fight on Saturday.
• Masvidal beat Diaz to a bloody pulp, dominating the fight from rounds one to three before Dr. Nitin K. Sethi advised the referee to end the bout before round four.
• Dr. Sethi has said he now fears for his health and safety.
• "Somebody's going to get hurt, and it's probably going to be me this time," he told MMA Fighting.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The doctor who ended the Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz fight is fearing for his life after receiving threats from furious fans.

Masvidal beat Diaz after three rounds at the UFC 244 event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Saturday, after Dr. Nitin K. Sethi deemed Diaz unfit to continue because of deep cuts.

The crowd booed the result and Masvidal, the winner, even said in his post-fight interview that they could "run it back" — he was eager to rematch Diaz.

Dr. Sethi told MMA Fighting that he has been called "f------ scum" in the aftermath of the result, and has even had fight fans call his office to protest his decision, and threaten him.

"I'm a very good neurologist and a very good doctor," he said. "Calling me f------ scum online and calling my office staff and yelling at them, threatening me, I fear for my health and safety.

"Somebody's going to get hurt, and it's probably going to be me this time."

The UFC boss Dana White said after the fight that there will be no immediate rematch as Masvidal has greater options in his near future, and Diaz needs time to recover and come back.

But Dr. Sethi is still living with the decision, one that he said he took because of imminent concern to Diaz's health and safety. Diaz was dominated by Masvidal having lost each and every round in the three-round battle, losing the second round by a lopsided 10-8 score.

A large flap of Diaz's brow hangs over his eye.Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images

"I made an objective call based on my assessment of the fighter," he said. "Not just the cut, but the overall assessment of the fighter [and] how the fight was going. Once I felt I could not guarantee the health and safety going forward, I had to make a tough call."

Dr. Sethi said the abuse began before he had even left the arena, with people in the "charged crowd" yelling "f--- this, f--- that."

He added that he hopes the backlash he has endured does not prevent doctors hired by state commissions from being able to make tough decisions in the interest of fighter safety going forward.

"The only thing sad about this will be you'll have doctors who will now be very afraid to make calls. And when people are scared to make calls because they're so afraid of the repercussions, I think we're entering dangerous territory."

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https://www.businessinsider.com/ufc-doctor-fears-for-his-life-after-threats-from-fans-2019-11

2019-11-05 11:09:56Z
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