Ouch. UFC Fighter Earns $50K Bonus the Hard Way

Andre Lima gets bitten during his bout, commemorates mark with a tattoo
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 25, 2024 8:45 AM CDT
UFC Fighter Earns $50K Bonus the Hard Way
Andre Lima shows the bite mark in this screenshot from video.   (YouTube/UFC)

It was a big weekend for UFC fighter Andre Lima: He won his fight, scored a $50,000 bonus, and got a new tattoo—all because he was bitten by his opponent. While he was fighting Igor Severino in Vegas on Saturday, Severino bit Lima on the underside of his left arm, reports CNN. When Lima cried out in pain, the ref examined the mark, disqualified Severino, and awarded Lima the win.

Later that night, Lima took things a step further by getting a replica of the bite mark tattooed in the same place, which he proudly displayed on Instagram. UFC President Dana White initially gave Lima a $25,000 bonus, then doubled it when he saw the tattoo, reports the Athletic. UFC frequently bestows bonuses to fighters for various things, but "Bite of the Night" appears to be an all-time first," writes Mark Puleo.

As for Severino, it's bad news all around. He not only was disqualified from the fight, but the UFC cut him loose. "Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters," White told reporter Kevin Iole at Combat Sports. "If you get frustrated and want out of the fight, there are plenty of ways to do it, but the worst thing (you) can do is bite your opponent. Now, you get cut and lose the biggest opportunity of your life." (More mixed martial arts stories.)

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