"It was all good then he went full retard" - UFC cutman shocked by Igor da Silva biting opponent during debut octagon appearance
Igor da Silva made his promotional debut when he faced Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53 this past weekend. The 20-year-old made UFC history for all the wrong reasons as he became the first fighter to lose a bout via disqualification for biting their opponent.
Cutman Brad Tate shared footage of himself wrapping da Silva's hands ahead of the bout to Instagram, captioning the post:
"I had no idea this 🥷would do that. It was all good then he went full retard , and everyone knows you can’t go full retard in a fight. #wedonttrustyou #tropicthunder #ufcfightnight #ufcbitenight #biteme"
He added a comment, noting that he can't act the same as he does with Gilbert Burns with other fighters:
"Can’t play with everyone like I Do Gilbert"
Check out Cutman Brad Tate's Instagram post on Igor da Silva below:
Da Silva entered the bout with an undefeated 8-0 record that included four victories via knockout and four victories via submission. He earned a UFC contract with a second-round TKO victory on Dana White's Contender Series last September.
The flyweight debutant appeared on his way to the first loss of his mixed martial arts career before biting his opponent in the second round. He was disqualified from the bout and subsequently released from the promotion.
Check out the official scorecard from Igor da Silva vs. Andre Lima below:
What did Dana White say about Igor da Silva biting his opponent?
Igor da Silva was released from his UFC contract almost immediately after being disqualified from his UFC on ESPN 53 bout against Andre Lima. In a text message to Kevin Iole, UFC President and CEO Dana White confirmed the release, stating:
"Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters. If you get frustrated and want out of the fight, there are plenty of ways to do it, but the worst thing u can do is bite your opponent. Now, you get cut and lose the biggest opportunity of your life. Not to mention, he’s going to have real problems with the NSAC." [h/t KevinIole.com]
White proceeded to award Lima the promotion's first-ever $50,000 'Bite of the Night' bonus. The promotional frontman revealed that the award was originally set to be $25,000, however, he doubled it after 'Mascote' got a tattoo of the bite mark. It remains unclear what kind of punishment da Silva could face from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.