UFC
UFC releases Igor Severino for biting Andre Lima: what did Dana White say?
Twenty-year-old fighter Severino was disqualified in round two of his flyweight bout with Lima at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White says Igor Severino is to be cut from his UFC contract after the 20-year-old bit opponent Andre Lima in the pair’s flyweight bout in Las Vegas on Saturday.
In the second round of his UFC Vegas 89 match-up with Lima on Saturday, Severino - who was making his debut in a UFC Fight Night - was disqualified by referee Chris Tognoni after sinking his teeth into his fellow Brazilian’s left arm.
In the aftermath of the incident, White revealed to UFC reporter Kevin Iole that Severino is to be released - and could find himself in hot water with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“Now you get cut and lose biggest opportunity of your life”
“Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters,” White told Iole in a text message. “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.”
Until his disqualification, Severino had managed to connect with more significant strikes than Lima - 36 to 30 - and had twice avoided defeat by submission.
Lima: “I was going to continue to damage him”
Speaking to ESPN after Severino’s disqualification, Lima said: “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.”
Lima has since commemorated Saturday’s controversial incident by tattooing the bite marks Severino left on his arm.
Severino turned pro in 2018
A jiu-jitsu specialist, Severino worked in a supermarket before becoming a professional fighter in 2018, according to the UFC official website. He earned a spot in UFC when he took part in season seven of the Dana White Contender Series.