'I was on autopilot. I don’t remember anything': Ex-UFC fighter apologizes for biting opponent, asks for shot at redemption



Former UFC fighter Igor Severino apologized for a biting incident that got him fired from the fight promotion and claimed that he didn't remember the sequence of events leading up to it.

Severino bit the bicep of fellow flyweight Andre Lima halfway through the second round of their three-round fight. The bite was widely publicized and even garnered a "Bite of the Night" bonus for Lima on behalf of UFC President Dana White. That bonus was doubled when it was revealed that Lima got a tattoo of the bite mark.

"One day, I was fighting in the best promotion in the world. I was making my dream come true. The next moments, I’m banned from the promotion," Severino told MMA Junkie.

The fighter was fired the same night following the incident, which of course was an extreme juxtaposition to his opponent being celebrated and awarded afterward.

Severino said he comes from "humble beginnings," working from a very young age to become a professional fighter. The 20-year-old Brazilian insisted that what viewers saw was not who he is as a person.

"I just feel very regretful. It makes me very emotional and sad about it," he explained.

The fighter claimed that he has no recollection of the sequence leading up to the bite and said he was shocked to see the highlights of what had transpired. He thought an elbow he received may have triggered his behavior.

"I remember everything that was happening until I got hit with something really hard," Severino stated through a translator. "I watched the video later and I thought it was an elbow. From there, I was on autopilot. I don’t remember anything."

The UFC is CUTTING Igor Severino after biting his opponent tonight at #UFCVegas89 \n\nper @KevinI
— (@)

Opponent and bite recipient Lima told Brazilian press that he didn't agree with the UFC's decision to cut Severino from the roster. He also stated that he would be willing to give Severino a rematch.

The likelihood that the UFC reinstates a fighter who has been banned is very low, however.

There exists a fairly lengthy list of fighters who have received lifetime bans. From shoving referees, to illegal gambling, to punching opponents after the fight, most if not all fighters who have received a permanent ban for one reason or another are not reinstated.

In an interview with Brazilian MMA-journalist Laerte Viana, Andre "Mascote" Lima stated that he doesn't agree with the UFC to cut Igor Severino after the biting incident on Saturday. He says that he hopes Severino get's another chance and he is willing to do a rematch.
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"I did something wrong," Severino continued. "It’s right that I be punished. I got cut. I think that’s one of the worst things that could’ve happened. The commission withheld my purse, so I’m not even sure if I’ll get paid anything. I’m not sure what they’re even going to decide because this money isn’t even for me. It’s for my whole family that depends on me. Fighting is how I make ends meet, how I’m able to pay my rent. That’s how I’m able to pay for medicine. It’s how I’m able to take care of my sick family members, how I can support them to buy food, as well. That’s all that I know how to do. It’s all that I have to make a means to live."

The fighter also noted that he received phone calls from family members about the incident, including one from his mother who claimed she had been receiving threats to her life.

50k \ud83d\udcb4
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Leftist teacher goes crazy, bites woman at Tudor Dixon rally: Report



A public school teacher in Michigan allegedly attacked a woman at a rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, reports say.

On October 29, an unnamed teacher in the Dearborn Public Schools district attended a Dixon rally held at Armando's, a Mexican restaurant in southwest Detroit. Wearing a mask that read, "I'm speaking," the woman held up a sign in support of Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Cheryl Costantino, the Republican chairwoman of Wayne County, said that as the rally progressed, the woman slowly made her way toward the stage and began behaving erratically.

"She was acting so chaotic that I was worried she would go after the speakers or something or hurt somebody," Costantino stated.

It turns out that Costantino was right to be concerned. She has alleged that, shortly thereafter, the woman bit and pinched her in the arm.



"The top was a compression injury because of how hard her jaw bit me," Costantino said, describing her injuries. "So when it started swelling up, I couldn't even raise my arm, like it was even uncomfortable just to drive."

Bite marks Costantino says she sustained in the assaultScreen shot of WXYZ-TV video

Bruise Costantino allegedly sustained in the assaultScreen shot of WXYZ-TV video

The woman was then asked to leave, and men, likely security, attempted to escort her from the premises, but the woman attempted to stand her ground, according to Costantino.

"And she was slapping all these guys, and this guy was just trying to guide her out and ask her to leave, and she refused to leave, and she kept saying, ‘I have a ticket!'" Costantino said, according to Breitbart.

Linda Sawyer, a witness, claimed that when she confronted the woman about the assault, the woman more or less admitted it.

"I went to her and I said, 'You bit Cheryl.' And she said, 'Yeah, well,'" Sawyer said.

"Like she was proud of it," Sawyer added.

Elisa Wagner, a local precinct delegate, then began filming the woman, who by that time had grabbed a serving tray holder and, in Costantino's words, held "it like a weapon."

Portions of Wagner's video can be seen in the WXYZ-TV news segment, though the woman's face has been obscured.

Screen shot of WXYZ-TV video



Alleged attackerScreen shot of WXYZ-TV video

Costantino filed a report with the Detroit Police Department, and Wagner accompanied her as a witness and corroborated her story. Police are still considering whether to file charges, pending further investigation.

WXYZ-TV has confirmed that the woman teaches in the Dearborn Public Schools. The district released a statement following the allegations:

"The Dearborn Public Schools is in the process of conducting an investigation to gather all the facts associated with this alleged incident and determine if there were any violations of board policy."

"I don't understand who would trust someone like that with their children," Costantino, who is also a teacher, said. "And why would a school open themselves up to liability by keeping an employee who would act like that?"

Dixon herself has tweeted about the incident and asked Whitmer to "condemn" it:

\u201cWill @gretchenwhitmer condemn the actions of her supporter?\u201d
— Tudor Dixon (@Tudor Dixon) 1667083371

Dixon, her running mate, Shane Hernandez, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who has endorsed Dixon, were all in attendance at the rally.