Igor Severino took a page out of Mike Tyson’s biting handbook, and now his UFC career is over barely after it started.
Severino — who was making his debut in the octagon at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on Saturday night — was disqualified for biting opponent Andre Lima and, soon after, was released from the fight promotion, according to multiple reports.
Severino, 20, was in the middle of an action-heavy bout with Brazilian countryman Lima when the chomp occurred.
With the fighters standing clinched against the cage midway through the second round, Lima suddenly recoiled and lifted his arm for referee Chris Tognoni to see.
Tognoni immediately stopped the bout and brought in a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) doctor, who examined Lima’s arm and confirmed it was a bite mark.
After that, Tognoni immediately waived off the bout which officially ended at 2:52.
It was the first career loss for Severino (8-1), and now the future of his mixed martial art career is clouded.
Lima, who also was making his UFC debut, improved to 8-0.
Shortly after the conclusion of the bout Dana White told reporter Kevin Iole that he was releasing Severino.
“Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters,” White told Iole via text. “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.”
On June 28, 1997, Tyson and Evander Holyfield fought in their widely anticipated boxing rematch after Holyfield beat Tyson for the WBA title in 1996.
The match is remembered for one of the wildest moments in boxing history when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear.
On an episode of the “Checc’n In Podcast with Big U” in 2022, Tyson talked about his entry into the cannabis industry selling ear-shaped weed gummies in an homage to the infamous Holyfield incident.
“I got fined 3 million for that, and I might have made 30 million since that happened,” Tyson said. “From that bite. You know how important that was for people!”
It’s unlikely Severino will cash in like that.
