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The UFC experienced a first in its history at the Apex this past weekend. Igor Severino made his UFC debut but was disqualified in the second round for biting his opponent, André Lima.
The incident caused a pause in the fight as officials and commentators tried to understand what had occurred. However, a clear bite mark on Lima's arm left no room for doubt, and Severino was swiftly disqualified.
UFC President Dana White described the moment as disastrous for Severino, indicating that the repercussions would extend beyond the outcome of the fight. Veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy, known for his role in creating the Unified Rules of MMA, commented on the incident on the Weighing In podcast.
He compared it to the controversial incident involving Paul Daley and Josh Koscheck, noting that Severino's disqualification for an in-fight action would have different consequences.
McCarthy explained that Severino is unlikely to receive any payment for his fight, as all earnings typically go to the commission in cases of disqualification. He emphasized,
"When you get disqualified, guess where all your money goes? It goes to the commission. They're going to hold on to it and decide if they're going to give you any of it. So he's not getting paid, this is part of a disqualification means you're not getting paid. You don't get that show money."
In an ironic twist, Lima was awarded a "bite of the night" bonus of $50,000 after getting a tattoo around the bite mark immediately following the fight.