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Dana White confirms Igor Severino will be cut after biting opponent in UFC debut

The bite mark on Andre Lima's arm was very visible

Jack Baer
·Staff writer
·3 min read
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 23: Detail view of a bite mark on the arm of Andre Lima of Brazil after his flyweight fight against Igor Severino of Brazil during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Severino was disqualified for biting Lima in the second round. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
What was Igor Severino thinking? (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Chris Unger via Getty Images)

Igor Severino's UFC career lasted about a round and a half.

The 20-year-old flyweight made his debut with the promotion on Saturday at UFC Vegas 89, losing to Andre Lima via disqualification. The reason: biting.

While grappling in the second round, Severino sank his teeth into Lima's upper left arm for seemingly no reason. Lima immediately started yelling and signaled for referee Chris Tognoni to stop the fight, which he did after a few seconds.

The fight was soon called after Tognoni inspected Lima's arm and consulted with the judges. A few hours later, UFC president Dana White told Kevin Iole of keviniole.com the promotion will cut Severino, who also might be hearing from the Nevada State Athletic Commission:

"Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters," White said. "If you get frustrated and want out of the fight, there are plenty of ways to do it, but the worst thing u can do is bite your opponent. Now, you get cut and lose the biggest opportunity of your life. Not to mention, he’s going to have real problems with the NSAC."

The ESPN booth was initially confused why Severino didn't receive a warning rather than immediate disqualification, wanting to know how Tognoni could be so sure the 20-year-old intentionally bit down. A shot of Lima's arm, complete with one of the most clear bite marks you will ever see, ended that confusion.

The loss is the first of Severino's professional MMA career, and comes right after breaking through to the UFC via "Dana White's Contender Series." Before that, all of his fights had come in his native Brazil, most recently with the Jungle Fight Championship.

Severino had a strong start before the bite, outlanding Lima 36-30 in significant strikes and landing five out of nine takedowns with three total minutes of control.

The fight was also Lima's UFC debut, as he also notched a win on DWCS in October. He celebrated it like any other win, jumping into his coach's arm before speaking with ESPN:

"I was able to hit him really hard, but then he bit me when I was trying to take him down. I was going to continue to damage him, continue to touch him and finish the fight, but as you saw, that's why I yelled. He bit me."

That bite wound up being lucrative for Lima, as his manager told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz that White said he will award Lima the first ever "I Got F***ing Bit Bonus."

Lima apparently decided to honor the occasion with a tattoo:

You truly never know where a night is going to go in the UFC.