Andre Lima can’t help but feel bad for his UFC Vegas 89 opponent, Igor Severino.
On Saturday night, Lima scored his eighth career victory in his Octagon debut, though the win came in a way that neither he nor anybody else ever expected. After an entertaining opening round, things took a drastic turn in the second when Severino inexplicably bit Lima on the arm during a clinch against the fence. Lima immediately protested, prompting referee Chris Tognoni to pause the action.
Going to the replay, it was unclear whether or not Severino actually bit his opponent. But once Lima brandished a hellish-looking bite mark on his left bicep, that was all anyone needed to see.
Andre Lima picks up the win over Igor Severino due to a DQ from Severino, who bit Lima’s arm 😳 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/NQTJuSh9G3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 23, 2024
Severino was immediately disqualified. Shortly thereafter, he was released from the promotion.
Speaking with TMZ Sports, Andre Lima admitted to feeling sorry for Severino, knowing how hard his fellow Brazilian had worked to get that opportunity.
“I feel so sorry for him, to be honest,” Lima said. “I’m sad for him because he came from the same thing. He struggled like I did. He has a family and a bright future. I was about to speak with him in the Octagon, but they didn’t allow it and after that, I didn’t see him at all, but I feel so much for him because I know the same dream I have, he has it to so I feel bad for him.”
Following the incident, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that he would give Lima the promotion’s first-ever “I got f*cking bit bonus” which was going to put an extra $25,000 in the fighter’s pocket. However, after Lima hilariously tattooed the bite mark onto his arm, White doubled down — literally — and bumped it to 50k.
Asked what inspired him to get the tattoo, Lima said:
“My manager put the idea in my mind, but I saw a lot of comments online of people saying I should tattoo that,” Lima added. “To be honest, I didn’t want to do it yesterday because I was very sore from the fight, but I don’t regret it. Not even 1%.”
Wow. André Lima gets a tattoo over the bite mark he got at #UFCVegas89
Dana White gifts him an extra $25k🔥#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/hdRjToom7T
— FightCrack (@FightCrack) March 24, 2024
Andre Lima Plans to Purchase a Car with his ‘Bite Bonus’
As for what he plans to do with the money, Lima would like to help his mother and other members of his family financially. He also plans to use some of the funds to buy himself a car.
“I’m so happy that I can’t put it into words,” Lima said. “The fact that he just tagged me on Instagram is a big thing for me. I can’t complain about anything. I know the fight didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I’m happy. I’m grateful for everything that happened.
“To be honest, I was planning to get the bonus. I was training a lot and I was planning to knock him out or submit him or do something… Have a really bloody fight. There’s a lot of people in my family. I want to help my mom and there’s a few people in my family I want to help. They are very important to me, but I wanted this bonus too because I want to buy a car. That’s one thing I’ve wanted for a long time and now I can buy a car.”
Watch the full interview below:
