UFC fights tend to end in a knockout, submission or points victory. On rare occasions, they end in injury or disqualification. The latter is typically reserved for eye-pokes, groin strikes or illegal elbows and now we can biting to that list. Yes, BITING.
Severino is disqualified for biting
In the flyweight clash at UFC Vegas 89 between Igor Severino and Andre Lima, the official, Chris Tognoni, separated the fighters at the midway point of the second round as the pair grappled against the cage. Lima was in the process of formulating a takedown attempt when he raised a complaint to the referee. As the fighters moved away from each other, Lima lifted his left arm to reveal what appeared to be a prominent bite mark on his tricep.
The referee confronted Igor Severino but he flat-out denied biting Lima, replying ‘no’ after being told by Tognoni that he had bitten his opponent. After the footage was reviewed, Severino was disqualified, resulting in a win for the Brazilian, who improved his MMA record to 8-0 in the most bizarre of circumstances. Severino’s decision to use his teeth instead of his hands was bizarre, and the disqualification resulted in his first loss since beginning his professional mixed martial career in 2018. Despite still having an impressive record of 8-1, the UFC appeared to have cut ties with Severino.
Oddly enough, the biting incident wasn’t the most bizarre incident related to the fight. Soon after being awarded the disqualification victory, Lima took it upon himself to get a tattoo of the bite mark left by his opponent. His actions made for some laughs on social media, and the spontaneous ink impressed the UFC President, Dana White, who decided to award Lima with a $50,000 bonus for his bravery, both inside and (predominantly) outside of the Octagon.
After extending his unbeaten run in MMA, Lima will be chomping at the bit (excuse the pun) to get back in action as he attempts to make a challenge towards flyweight gold, a belt currently occupied by Alexandre Pantoja. As for Severino, he will probably have to find another organization to ply his trade, as it appears as though the UFC has decided to release him. Dana White indicated this to Kevin Iole post-fight and said that Severino would likely encounter difficulties with the Nevada State Atheltic Commission following his antics at UFC Vegas 89.
For Andre Lima, it’s onwards and upwards for the undefeated fighter who bagged a tidy bonus, extended his unbeaten record, and gained some new ink. For Igor Severino, it appears that he has bitten off more than he can chew (again, apologies, I couldn’t help myself).
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