Igor Severino is back. You may not remember his name, but one sentence will definitely refresh your memory. Yes, he’s the guy who was suspended for biting his opponent Andre Lima during a UFC fight in March.
Severino returns to the cage on Sunday to take on Jonas Maggard at Octagon 65 in Prague, Czech Republic. Magar is the organization’s former bantamweight champion and could end up being the No. 1 contender’s fight, but Severino has more at stake than just a win and a title shot.
Severino lost his contract with the UFC and was sidelined for nine months due to a stupid mistake, which was “heartbreaking.” Some wanted him banned completely, and his social media was flooded with “hateful comments” and death threats. This fight represents a chance to move on from there, but not completely.
The talented 21-year-old fighter, whose DQ loss was his first loss as a professional mixed martial artist, believes all the publicity is good publicity. The Octagon agreed, calling him a “disgraced UFC star” when announcing the fight. This weekend, Severino will be heading to the cage wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask.
“(The bite) was talked about all over the world,” Severino told MMA Fighting. “A news channel that has nothing to do with MMA was talking about MMA, so now I’m using that to my advantage. I have a mask, so I’m having fun, but it’s just a joke. And it will never happen again (lol).”
The world of MMA has already seen a number of ‘Hannibals’, including UFC welterweight veteran Claudio Silva. And then there are the “cannibals” like UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. The Hannibal Lecter gimmick is only temporary, as Severino wants to give him a unique nickname related to his bite. His opponent Magard is known as “Shark”, which is also an obvious pun for this fight.
“There’s also a ‘shark’ here,” Severino said, referring to his teammate Joao Delson Brito, a UFC fighter known in Brazil as “Tubaran” (the shark). “I’m used to training with sharks so it’s okay. I’m at home. The real shark is here (lol).”
Severino was handed a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but that won’t prevent him from competing sooner in Europe if he wants. However, he plans to return to the North American circuit in the future, and perhaps even return to the UFC at some point, so it made sense to sit back and wait.
Chute boxer João Emilio bantamweight KOs Jonata Silva on Dana White’s Contender Series before an unforgettable UFC appearance, stopping training during suspension despite online attacks He said he had never thought about retiring.
“Actually, I wasn’t really affected by that kind of thing,” Severino said. “People were worried that after I got fired from the UFC, I might want to quit (fighting) or do something like that, but I never thought about that. I learned a lot from all of that. It helped me know who was by my side and who wasn’t.”
Severino said he is “very confident” that a win on Sunday will earn him a shot at the belt, which has been vacant since Felipe Lima left the Octagon to join the UFC. Maggard, who lost the title to Lima in July 2023, finished in nine of 23 MMA bouts and five of six losses.
“He doesn’t go there to put on a show or anything,” Severino said of his opponent. “He talks a lot and he likes to promote his game. I don’t like to build friendships with my opponents, so I’m very happy with all of that. I’m not impressed with his play either. Of course I don’t want to underestimate him, but I believe he has more weapons than him. He’s very predictable.”
