Going all the way back to 1997 when Mike Tyson tried to bite Evander Holyfield’s ear off, biting your opponent has never been acceptable in combat sports.
So when Igor Severino bit his opponent Andre Lima during their fight at UFC 58 on ESPN on Saturday, UFC head Dana White wasn’t having it.
Severino was immediately disqualified – and Lima received $50,000 for his troubles.
And got a tattoo.
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Igor Severino Cut
White texted veteran MMA reporter Kevin Iole after the fight and revealed that he cut Igor Severino.
From KevinIole.com, “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 you 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.”
“White then gave Lima a $50k bonus for his troubles, and the fighter decided to get a tattoo with his new bite scar,” the report noted.
‘I Felt a Sharp Pain’
The Guardian reported, “We were fighting well, and then at some point, for some reason, he decided to bite me,” Lima, speaking through a translator, told reporters after the fight. “I went down, and as I was getting up, I yelled because I felt sharp pain. I thought it was the fence at first. I thought ‘there was no way he would have bit me’, especially with the way the fight was going.”
Dana White did the right thing. What in the hell was Igor Severino thinking?
