Former UFC flyweight prospect Igor Severino made his return to competition last week for the first time since being released by the promotion back in March on the same night as his debut. Traveling all the way to the Czech Republic, the Brazilian striker’s comeback bout came against Swiss mixed martial arts standout Jonas Mågård at OKTAGON 65.
One Foul Cost Igor Severino Everything
After defeating previous Shooto Brazil Strawweight Champion Jhonata Silva on Dana White’s Contender Series by knockout, the undefeated Severino entered his first match in the company with much anticipation. Stepping into the cage for his freshman outing, he battled André Lima, who also possessed much skill on the feet, having won several kickboxing titles.
Losing a competitive first round, Igor Severino began to grow more and more frustrated with his opponent, eventually doing the unthinkable and biting Lima on his arm. This ultimately cost him both his perfect record and his UFC career, as Dana White would end up releasing him from his contract immediately following the event.
Igor Severino vs. Andre Lima at #UFCVegas89 ends in a rare disqualification for BITING. Wild. pic.twitter.com/LXL7X9ZR96
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) March 23, 2024
Funnily enough, the man that Severino bit, Lima, wound up receiving a special $25,000 Bite of the Night bonus from White himself, however, after visiting a local tattoo parlor later that evening, the UFC CEO raised Lima’s bonus to $50,000. The Team Lucas Mineiro product would go on to compete twice more in 2024, defeating a debuting Mitch Raposo and Felipe dos Santos.
Post-UFC Journey and Latest Bout for Igor Severino
Making perhaps the biggest mistake of his young career, Severino found himself booted from the largest MMA promotion on the planet. What’s more, the Nevada Athletic Commission fined the Brazilian $2,000 after previously holding his entire fight purse, and also handed him a nine-month suspension.
This led to a gutted Igor Severino to sit on the sidelines for almost the rest of the year, all the while dealing with hateful comments directed at him and his family.
Fortunately, for Severino, a chance to end 2024 on a positive note came at OKTAGON 65 in Prague. The fight would be the first time that he ever competed in Europe, and it also was his first outing sporting a new gimmick of his.
Taking inspiration from Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal of the popular character Hannibal Lecter, Igor Severino made his walk to the fight against Jonas Mågård wearing Lecter’s famous face mask. He also adopted a new nickname in “The Real Cannibal.” Following a close split decision win over Mågård, Severino again donned the mask in what just might be one of the most notable career turnarounds in the sport in recent years.
Where to Now for Igor Severino?
Where Igor Severino goes from here is uncertain, as, at the time of this writing, White still has not reversed his decision on letting him back into the UFC. This sentiment has held true for several other fighters that have fought in the company, as Paul Daley and Rousimar Palhares both received lifetime bans for other various egregious actions.
However, given he is only 21 years old, Severino will have plenty of time to build himself back up in the hopes of one day returning to the greatest MMA organization on the planet.
