It won’t be until May that the fate of Brazilian flyweight Igor Severino will be final. All signs point to pundits leaning toward stiffer sentencing to make an example out of the fighter. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) voted against an adjudication agreement that the Nevada Attorney General’s Office came up with. Instead of a prescribed 6-month ban, the terms of his punishment are still up in the air.
Igor Severino bit Andre Lima during the 2nd frame of their UFC on ESPN 53 flyweight scrap. Head honcho Dana White effectively released the disqualified fighter from the roster. Much has transpired since the March card, as Lima hoped that it wouldn’t end Severino’s future in pro-MMA altogether. Deputy Attorney General Matthew Feeley expressed his concerns about such situations happening in the future.
There is very little precedent when it comes to people biting each other in the ring, (Tyson vs. Holyfield) was a little more severe. That one actually took skin off the body. This one I don’t even think caused blood. A lot of consideration went into the incident, and this is obviously something that can’t be tolerated…
Deputy Attorney General Matthew Feeley via a statement released to MMA Junkie
Feeley noted a lack of precedent because such physical altercations do not usually take place. Mike Tyson’s infamous earbite to Evander Holyfield back in 1997 was the last one. He and Commissioner Anthony Marnell expressed concerns about the six-month penalty limit. It sets a dangerous notion that although there wasn’t any bloodshed, a combatant could get away with just six months of ban.
Tyson’s behavior was incredibly worse; hence, he had his license revoked and paid $3 million in fines. The recommended adjudication agreement has Severino paying $3,314.08, equivalent to 30 percent of his $10,000 show money with legal fees. Feeley & Severino’s team also reached an agreement for a six-month suspension. Despite this, he now faces a second disciplinary hearing in May.
NAC Executive director says Dana White offered to pay the fine for jumping cage
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has tightened its litigation and disciplinary grip on fighters. This Tuesday, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Matthew Feeley presented an agreed-upon adjudication agreement to Igor Severino, serving a 6-month ban. However, the NAC opposed this and called for a subsequent hearing in May. For now, the fighter remains on temporary suspension from the commission.
The Nevada Athletic Commission call for further formal disciplinary hearings on both UFC 300 stars (Source: sportingnews.com/IMAGO)At Tuesday’s monthly meeting, the Nevada Athletic Commission also weighed in on Arman Tsarukyan and Diego Lopes. NAC has now voted to withhold 20 percent of Tsarukyan’s purse ($158,000) for swiping at a fan during his walkout and five percent ($5,000) of Lopes’ $100,000 purse. Tsarukyan was docked $31,600 for his fan altercation despite Obed Ardon himself apologizing for it.
After (Lopes) won, he jumped up and gestured toward Dana White, like, ‘Can I come over? Can I come over?…And White gestured like, ‘Come over.’ Then, I immediately stood up…and took a step over that way and Dana White said, ‘I will pay his fine. I will pay his fine.’ …Then our inspectors came around and proceeded to (assist) as I was trying to get him back in the cage also.
Executive director Jeff Mullen via a statement released to MMA Junkie
Meanwhile, Lopes’ withheld payday seems as ludicrous as ever. Dana White, who had permitted the fighter, even offered to pay a fine. Executive director Jeff Mullen also said Ardon accepted responsibility for flipping Tsarukyan and did not want to press charges.
However, multiple commission members from The Nevada Athletic Commission felt the matter was unprecedented. Hence, much like Igor Severino, the duo will have formal disciplinary hearings at a future commission meeting.
