Andre Lima became the first fighter in UFC history to win by disqualification due to biting, after his opponent Igor Severino bit him during a clinch in their match at UFC Vegas 89.
Andre Lima’s UFC debut was one for the ages. A Saturday night that’ll be remembered forever. He squared off against Igor Severino in the early prelims of UFC Vegas 89. And boy, did it turn out to be a weird one!
The first round was pretty competitive. Then, out of nowhere, Severino bit Lima. Bit him right on the left arm during a clinch. Left some pretty clear bite marks too. There was a bit of confusion, but eventually, Severino got disqualified. That’s how Lima became the first UFC fighter to win by disqualification for biting. Crazy, right?
After the fight, Lima talked to reporters (shout out to MMA Junkie). He was as shocked as the rest of us. “We were doing pretty good, trading blows,” Lima said, through a translator. “Then he tried to take me down. I hit the mat, but managed to get back up. That’s when I felt this sharp pain. I yelled out. I thought I’d been jabbed by the fence or something.”
He went on, “I was like, ‘Ouch, ouch, ouch!’ Everyone started looking at me. I was confused. I mean, I really thought it was the fence. I couldn’t believe he’d bitten me. The fight was going well. It was a good fight, for both of us. Could’ve been the ‘Fight of the Night.’ Then I felt the pain and realized, he’d bitten me.”
It all happened so fast. Lima didn’t get a chance to ask Severino why he bit him. The UFC officials were quick to separate them. Lima just wanted to understand, though. “I wanted to ask him, ‘Dude, why’d you bite me?'” Lima said. “I wanted to confront him, ask him why. But they kept us apart. When I saw the bite mark, I was like, ‘Why’d you do that? I wanted a bonus. This could’ve been the ‘Fight of the Night.’ Then I realized, it was a bite.”
He didn’t win ‘Fight of the Night’, but Dana White, UFC CEO, gave him a “Bite of the Night” bonus. $50,000! Lima even got the bite marks tattooed on his arm. Talk about making the best of a weird situation!
Despite the bite, Lima’s in good spirits. He doesn’t think the UFC should fire Severino. “He’s a young athlete, a good one, undefeated,” Lima said. “Maybe he got carried away by emotions, adrenaline. The octagon’s a whole different world. He’s a good athlete. He should stay in the UFC. I’m sure he’ll represent Brazil well, like me. He just needs a good talking-to, that’s all.”
But the UFC did release Severino. Dana White mentioned that the young Brazilian might face repercussions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which oversaw UFC Vegas 89.