Did the NAC make the right call sanctioning Diego Lopes vs. Dan Ige last minute? We discuss that and more on “Spinning Back Clique.”
The Nevada Athletic Commission has been under scrutiny this past week over some of its rulings.
The NAC handed out suspensions to [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], who was involved in an altercation with a fan during his walkout for UFC 300 in April, and [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag], who bit his opponent Andre Lima to get disqualified and cut from the UFC. But most notably, the NAC sanctioned a bout between Diego Lopes and Dan Ige hours before it happened at UFC 303.
Did the NAC make the right calls?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn and host Gorgeous George discuss and make sense of their recent rulings.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Alex Pereira’s win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, what’s next for Diego Lopes, NAC rulings, and more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] has logged in his second title defense at light heavyweight, stopping violently [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] in a rematch that headlined UFC 303. This was not only a huge result for Pereira, but also for MMA in general, given the magnitude of Pereira’s achievement. Where does “Poatan” rank among the greatest fighters in history? Should UFC grant him a move to heavyweight? What’s next for him at light heavyweight? We discuss.
UFC 303 was also host of many other important results. In the co-main event, [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] in a fight that was made during the event as [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag], Lopes’ original opponent, pulled out due to illness. Also, [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] remained undefeated after beating [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] in a very close fight, among other results. We make sense of the main UFC 303 outcomes.
It was an interesting week for the Nevada Athletic Commission. Most notably, they were responsible for sanctioning and greenlighting the Lopes vs. Ige fight hours before the bout itself in an unprecedented move. They also issued their sanctions on [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], who swung at a fan during his UFC 300 walkout, and [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag], who was cut from the UFC after biting his opponent. What do we make of these calls? Was the right decision made? We discuss.
Lastly, UFC 303 and the NAC rulings weren’t the only things that happened last week. There were also many other interesting developments in the sport. Each panelist highlights a story that caught their attention from this past week.
Igor Severino has been issued a fine and suspension by the NAC for biting his opponent during a UFC bout back in March.
The strange in-fight biting incident in the UFC from earlier this year has finally reached a resolution.
[autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag], who was disqualified and cut from the UFC after biting opponent Andre Lima back in March, has received a nine-month suspension and was fined $2,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission. The NAC announced its decision Tuesday during a monthly board meeting.
Severino’s suspension is retroactive to the date of the incident, meaning it will terminate Dec. 23.
The 21-year-old Brazilian has been vocal about the consequences this incident has brought on him. Not only did he face disciplinary action from the NAC, but he was also cut from the UFC, has received tons of backlash online, and has gone through financial struggles since he hasn’t been able to fight.
Severino was undefeated entering his first and final fight in the UFC. The disqualification loss to Lima stands as his only professional defeat. He entered the promotion after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.
Igor Severino requests the NAC to partly release his purse to cover living expenses amid UFC biting suspension.
[autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]’s already-infamous biting incident has yet to get a resolution from the regulatory side, but there’s been an update from the Brazilian.
Friday, during a Nevada Athletic Commission meeting, used time for public comment to ask the commission to release his purse that’s being withheld so he can afford to live while the NAC awaits a decision on his punishment.
Severino is currently suspended by the NAC following his disqualification from his March 23 fight at UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas. The Brazilian bit his bit opponent, Andre Lima, and was disqualified and quickly released from the UFC.
The 21-year-old flyweight says he’s been struggling since, not only publicly as he previously opened up to MMA Junkie, but also financially.
“I would like to know if it would be possible to release part of my purse since that fight I haven’t been able to pay all my bills, and I’ve been living with a friend and training partner,” Severino said through a translator in Portuguese.
“I’m afraid that I might even be kicked out of my gym, as I’m not able to meet any dues, and I’m even having trouble eating. I would like to know if it would be possible to release part of my purse.”
The NAC thanked Severino for his comments, but didn’t give him an answer. NAC executive director Jeff Mullen said the commission would consider Severino’s request and contact him directly.
His case is not expected to be on the agenda again until the next NAC meeting, June 25.
Friday, the NAC cut that suspension in half in an adjudication with Lopes. Officially, his fine will be $2,500 plus legal fees of $157.04. Because the commission already withheld $5,000 from Lopes, which was 5 percent of his $100,000 purse, he’s due the difference.
At a prior hearing, NAC executive director Jeff Mullen said UFC CEO Dana White said he’d pay Lopes’ fine. Video showed Lopes appeared to ask White for permission to jump over the fence before he did it.
“After (Lopes) won, he jumped up and gestured toward Dana White, like, ‘Can I come over? Can I come over?'” Mullen said. “And White gestured like, ‘Come over.’ Then, I immediately stood up and took a step over that way and Dana White said, ‘I will pay his fine. I will pay his fine.’ Then our inspectors came around and proceeded to (assist) as I was trying to get him back in the cage, also. Our inspectors came around and escorted him back in the cage.”
Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) knocked out Yusuff (13-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) just 89 seconds into their featherweight fight at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After a loss in his UFC debut, Lopes has three straight first-round finishes, all around the 90-second range.
Also at Friday’s hearing, the commission extended the temporary suspensions of [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] for resolution at a future meeting.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
The Nevada Athletic Commission did not think the Attorney General’s Office proposed a suspension severe enough for Igor Severino.
All signs have pointed toward punishment for [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] since biting his opponent during his UFC debut, but the terms remain up in the air.
The Nevada Athletic Commission voted against an adjudication agreement proposed and presented by the Nevada Attorney General’s Office during a monthly commission meeting Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Deputy attorney general Matthew Feeley revealed a settlement agreement had been reached between his office and Severino’s team for him to serve a six-month suspension retroactive to the March 23 foul and pay $3,314.08, equivalent to 30 percent of his $10,000 show money with legal fees.
“There is very little precedent when it comes to people biting each other in the ring,” Feeley said. “… (Tyson vs. Holyfield) was a little more severe. That one actually took skin off the body. This one I don’t even think caused blood. A lot of consideration went into the incident, and this is obviously something that can’t be tolerated.”
Commissioner Anthony Marnell expressed concerns at the duration of the suspension and said it set a dangerous precedent going forward. The matter was tabled for the next commission meeting on May 31 as the commission intends to lengthen the suspension to a year.
“I guess my concern is that if we approve this, we set a precedent at six months for this type of behavior and then it’s in our record, and that’s kind of how we have to roll going forward,” Marnell said. “I’m not in favor of the six months. What the UFC does is what the UFC does. That’s the promotion’s issue. He can get picked up by Bellator. But if we say, ‘Now you can bite somebody in the ring and only get six months off, which is basically nothing … it’s like a fighter only has two fights a year anyway. He doesn’t miss anything. There is zero penalty here, other than three grand.”
“… The bigger issue is the precedent we set going forward. If it happens again, you’re stuck at six months. That is unbelievably dangerous for this commission. That’s my opinion. You guys can all vote how you want.”
Severino’s representation attempted to join the meeting via teleconference but entered after the agenda item had passed and were denied from commenting.
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Severino, 21, was immediately released from the promotion after he chomped the left tricep of [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 53 at the UFC Apex. The fight had been competitive up until the point of the foul, for which Severino was disqualified by referee Chris Tognoni.
In the week following the incident, Severino apologized profusely during an interview with MMA Junkie. He said he did not understand why he bit Lima and did not remember doing it, a mental lapse he hypothesized could’ve been to a strike absorbed earlier in the fight.
Severino accepted responsibility for the foul. Emotional, Severino also revealed he and his family had been threatened online following the incident. Severino expressed hope that he will not be defined by one moment and that the UFC would someday give him a second shot.
What to make of Igor Severino’s comments on his biting incident at UFC on ESPN 54? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”
On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses everything around the biting incident between [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] and [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 53.
After remaining largely silent in the aftermath of his UFC release for biting, Severino finally spoke at length. Previously, we had heard from UFC CEO Dana White, Lima’s post-fight reaction, and then the NAC’s response to the incident. Now, in an exclusive interview with MMA Junkie, Severino gave his side of the story.
So how do we feel about the situation now that the dust has seemingly settled? Is the 20-year-old Severino worthy of a second chance in the octagon sometime down the line?
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MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Nolan King, host “Gorgeous” George Garcia, discussed Severino’s comments on the biting incident and what could the future look like for the Brazilian.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses UFC on ESPN 54, Brandon Moreno’s hiatus from MMA, and more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and Nolan King will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:
UFC on ESPN 54 is in the books, and it left plenty to talk about, including [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]’s win over Erin Blanchfield and where she fits into the title picture at women’s flyweight; [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s 3-0 start in his return to welterweight; [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]’s controversial win over Bruno Silva and his future in MMA. We recap the main results of Saturday’s event in Atlantic City.
Sad news for the men’s flyweight. Arguably the division’s most popular name has announced a hiatus from MMA. Former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] revealed that he’s in need of a break from fighting and that he will be stepping away for some time, but he promises to come back eventually. We react to the news and its impact on the flyweight division.
The UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia is taking shape. UFC CEO Dana White announced several key matchups for the June 22 event, including a title eliminator bout between [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Khamzhat Chimaev[/autotag] – which will serve as the main event of the card. We break down Whittaker vs. Chimaev, along with the rest of the fights announced.
Things got weird earlier this month when [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] got disqualified, and later cut from the UFC, after biting his opponent Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53. We heard almost immediately after the incident from Lima, UFC CEO Dana White, the Nevada Athletic Commission, but this Severino broke silence in an exclusive interview with MMA Junkie. We discuss the whole incident as well as Severino’s recent comments.
The UFC fighter who bit his opponent speaks out about the incident and it’s aftermath for the first time.
[autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]’s life isn’t the same as it was one week ago.
As of now, the 20-year-old ex-UFC fighter doesn’t know if it’ll ever be even similar after he bit opponent [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] during their March 23 fight at UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas.
The highly unusual and flagrant foul disqualified him from the bout, cost him his spot on the UFC roster, and made international headlines far beyond the combat sports bubble.
“It’s been crazy – some crazy days,” Severino told MMA Junkie, through an interpreter, as he spoke on the incident for the first time publicly since it happened. “One day, I was fighting in the best promotion in the world. I was making my dream come true. The next moments, I’m banned from the promotion.”
Severino’s face appeared all over social media as the video went viral. His accounts were flooded with comments and messages, many of them unpleasant.
Severino remained out of the public eye and ear over the past six days until now, as he processed why and how he did what he did. Severino said he still hasn’t figured it all out, and isn’t sure he ever will.
“I come from humble beginnings,” Severino said. “I’ve been working since a very young age. I left my home as a teenager to come over to train and to get here. Then, to see all of this go away and in the way it did, it’s something that is not part of me. It’s not who I am as a person. That’s not who I am as a fighter. I just feel very regretful. It makes me very emotional and sad about it.
“My dream became a nightmare overnight. I’m very regretful to my opponent. I apologize to (Lima), to Dana (White), to the Nevada Athletic Commission, to Sean Shelby, who spoke to me after the fight, to Mick (Maynard) – everyone in the organization – and the fans. Sorry to everyone who was watching that on TV. They didn’t deserve to see that.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 23: (R-L) Igor Severino of Brazil punches Andre Lima of Brazil in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Severino said he reached into his memory bank but came up empty-handed as to why he chomped his opponent’s left tricep during a takedown attempt along the fence. He said he has no recollection of the sequence or its surroundings and was shocked when he watched the tape back. Severino mentioned that a strike earlier in the fight may have caused insensible behavior.
“I remember everything that was happening until I got hit with something really hard,” Severino said. “I watched the video later and I thought it was an elbow. From there, I was on autopilot. I don’t remember anything.”
To Severino, the action is not reflective of his character. He added there have not been prior issues in the way he’s carried himself in any of his past fights.
“You can talk with anyone that we’ve fought with or anyone who has promoted one of my fights,” Severino said. “I’ve always fought with respect and laid it down in the cage. I’ve never done anything outside the barriers of the sport. To me, I couldn’t comprehend what’s going on.”
It’s been Severino’s dream for years to fight in the UFC. He said fighting is how he provides for his family. Severino promised his coach Joao Emilio, of Chute Boxe, a performance bonus for his birthday.
So why bite an opponent given the circumstances? Like many onlookers, Severino struggled to calculate the math in hindsight.
“If you look at the fight, many people came to me and said, ‘Hey, you were winning the round. Why did you do that?’ I watched the video, and yes, I think it was one round apiece, or you could say I was winning,” Severino said. “There was nothing that could justify me biting.”
The bite caused punishments from multiple directions. Severino was disqualified in the bout by referee Chris Tognoni as Lima sported a deep bite mark (which he tattooed on himself hours later). Shortly after the incident, UFC CEO Dana White announced Severino was cut. According to Severino, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has since withheld his purse.
Severino said he understands and accepts that punishment should come from the incident, but also doesn’t agree with the notion his MMA career – or prospects of a second UFC shot down the line – should be killed. He also finds the commission’s purse withholding somewhat severe, considering his financial situation.
“I did something wrong,” Severino said. “It’s right that I be punished. I got cut. I think that’s one of the worst things that could’ve happened. The commission withheld my purse, so I’m not even sure if I’ll get paid anything. I’m not sure what they’re even going to decide because this money isn’t even for me. It’s for my whole family that depends on me. Fighting is how I make ends meet, how I’m able to pay my rent. That’s how I’m able to pay for medicine. It’s how I’m able to take care of my sick family members, how I can support them to buy food, as well. That’s all that I know how to do. It’s all that I have to make a means to live.”
Commission and promotion issues aside, Severino revealed another layer of response that irked him deeper than the rest – one that was difficult for him to speak about without emotion flowing out.
According to Severino, multiple family members, including his mother, received threatening messages after the incident. Severino broke down crying when he spoke about his inability to truthfully give his mother proper reassurance.
“They have been going after my loved ones,” Severino said, choking up. “They’re disrespecting them. There have been death threats. My mother doesn’t have anything to do with it. My family doesn’t have anything to do with it. People are acting like I killed somebody, like I’m a criminal. What I did was wrong but it was far from a crime. They’re treating me like I’m the worst person in the world.
“I had my mother call me nervous, crying about people threatening her and saying all kinds of stuff to her and about her. I had to try to calm her down and tell her everything is going to be OK, but how is everything going to be OK? I don’t know if everything is going to be OK. I don’t even know if I have a career after this.”
While the majority of messages and comments were negative, various fighters and teammates defended Severino’s character on social media. One supporter, in particular, really surprised Severino: his opponent, Andre Lima.
Lima spoke out in Severino’s defense during multiple interviews following the incident and advocated for his disqualified opponent to get a second UFC opportunity. Lima even went as far as to say he’d give Severino a rematch.
“He had every right to condemn me and to surf the wave of this moment, he’s extending his hand to me,” Severino said. “He’s saying he doesn’t want me to be cut. He’s saying he would even offer me a rematch, and that things shouldn’t go like this. I can’t express how much admiration I’ve gained from him, how much respect I’ve gained from him. Someone who was so honorable and so graceful toward me, I just wish him the best things in the world. I don’t wish to rematch him, actually. If he ever needs a sparring partner for one of his fights, he can call me any time and I’ll be available.
“What he’s doing for me, even if it doesn’t end up changing anything with my situation with the UFC and this sport, it already means more than any other thing. He could be trampling on me and he’s doing the opposite. People who should be with me are trying to bash me. They’re making fun of me. They’re reenacting me. That shows the nature of the person that he is. I really root for his success from now on. I wish he has the best of luck in his life because he seems to be a great person.”
In an interview with Brazilian MMA-journalist Laerte Viana, Andre "Mascote" Lima stated that he doesn't agree with the UFC to cut Igor Severino after the biting incident on Saturday. He says that he hopes Severino get's another chance and he is willing to do a rematch. pic.twitter.com/yPcmhzsCPB
While it might take time for the public perception to reconstruct, Severino hopes the UFC and other promotions don’t view him with a closed mind going forward. Severino doesn’t want an isolated mistake to be his entire story and is determined to do whatever it takes to prove he deserves a road to redemption.
“The UFC had every right to release me, but I wish I had a chance to redeem myself,” Severino said. “I don’t want to be defined as a 20-year-old kid who bit a guy in the cage and was banned from the sport, and that was it. Everyone that knows me knows that’s not the kind of person that I am. That’s not my character. That’s not how it should have been. … I really don’t want to be defined as the kid who bit his opponent and ruined his life.
“… I know things look pretty bad for me right now, and I just want people to see the person that I am, to see that’s not who I am as a fighter or as a person. Please just let me have a career again. … Please give me a chance to come back and redeem myself. Please let me show you all who I really am.”
MMA Junkie reached out to the NAC for comment on the purse withholding, but the commissioning body declined to comment. The NAC has temporarily withheld purses or partial purses in the past, including $2 million from Khabib Nurmagomedov for jumping on Conor McGregor in 2018. Nurmagomedov was eventually paid back $1.5 million of that. It’s expected a potential fine and/or suspension for Severino will be discussed at a NAC meeting in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Lima was awarded a $50,000 “Bite of the Night” bonus from White, as a result of the unusual circumstances and follow-up tattoo.
This story was updated April 2 at 3:20 p.m. ET to reflect the NSAC’s declination for comment on the matter.
