Andre Lima earned a $50,000 bonus for winning his UFC fight Saturday night, but it wasn’t by knockout, submission or judges’ decision. On the contrary, Lima was bitten by his opponent, Igor Severino, and won by disqualification.
Lima celebrated this unusual victory by flexing the arm with the bite mark, then later visiting a local tattoo studio and permanently commemorating the rare victory bonus.
Bonuses are awarded at almost every UFC event for categories like Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night – awarded to the flashiest knockouts or submissions of the night – but Bite of the Night appears to be a first all time.
Tonight’s BOTN 💰💰 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/Ngttbbryr8
– UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2024
Severino, who was making his UFC debut, was not only disqualified, but was later released from the promotion for his antics. The 20-year-old Brazilian sunk his teeth into Lima around the third minute of the second round.
After Lima stood back and showed his arm to referee Chris Tognoni, a doctor from the Nevada State Athletic Commission was brought into the octagon to examine Lima’s arm. When the bite mark was noticed, the fight was broken up.
UFC president Dana White told MMA reporter Kevin Iole in a text message that he was cutting Severino.
“They were two promising undefeated fighters,” White told Iole. “If you are frustrated and want to walk away from the fight, there are many ways to do so, but the worst thing you can do is bite your opponent. Now you are laid off and losing the biggest opportunity of your life. Not to mention he’s going to have real problems with the NSAC.
White initially gave Lima a $25,000 bonus for the unusual win, then doubled the bonus to $50,000 when the fighter came out to get a tattoo.
In addition to getting the bite mark tattooed, Lima had the words “I got a fucking bonus” inked around the teeth marks.
(Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)