UFC star calls out transgender athlete, ex-fighter badmouths Laura Sanko, debutant gets immediately cut for biting: MMA News Roundup
One fighter called out a transgender athlete after their UFC Vegas 89 win. While the card was successful for this man, another fighter got fired immediately after his fight for an illegal move.
Catch up with today's top combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA:
Julian Erosa calls out Lia Thomas
Following his first-round submission win over Ricardo Ramos at UFC Vegas 89, Julian Ramos challenged transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to an MMA fight.
He said:
"I don't like cheaters ... I wanted to call out Lia Thomas. I wanted to encourage [him] to transition from women's swimming into women's MMA, and then I'll transition into a woman and beat that dude's a**."
He attributed transgender athletes participating in women's sports to a "lack of common sense" and took a staunch stance against it.
"If you have gone through male puberty, there's nothing you can do to shrink your bones down. The proof is in the pudding."
Erosa proceeded to mention Thomas' success in the women's division compared to a mediocre performance in the men's.
Take a look at his comments below:
Jamie Varner criticizes Laura Sanko on social media
Former UFC and WEC fighter Jamie Varner is no fan of Laura Sanko's commentary. During Saturday's Fight Night card, headlined by Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas, Varner took to X to criticize Sanko's skills on the microphone.
He said:
"@laura_sanko is ruining the fights by talking so much. Leave the commentary to the people that have actually fought. A female UFC fighter should have that job, she is just annoying and it’s obvious she is trying so hard and doesn’t know what she is talking about"
Fans rushed to defend the commentator, speaking highly of her MMA knowledge and dedication to the job.
In a fitting reply, Sanko wrote that they had, in fact, fought on the same card 13 years ago. She reminded him that she did compete in MMA, although for a short time. She said she would have fought for longer if there was a division in the UFC appropriate for her size.
Sanko fought five times in amateur and lost only once. She competed once in professional fighting at Invicta FC 4 against Cassie Robb. She won the fight via a second-round rear naked choke submission.
UFC debutant gets cut after biting, helps opponent make $50k
In the most bizarre turn of events, Igor Severino bit down on opponent Andre Lima's arm while against the cage in Round 2. The fight was immediately stopped. Severino not only lost via disqualification but was also cut from the promotion immediately.
MMA fans could not stop themselves from making the Mike Tyson comparisons.
In a statement to Kevin Iole, Dana White said:
"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 you 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."
Lima, a fellow Dana White's Contender Series alum of Severino, saw an opportunity and took it.
White initially announced a $25k bonus for Lima as a goodwill gesture for the incident. Upon hearing the news, Lima got a tattoo around the bitemark that read:
"I got f***ing bit bonus"
Impressed, White added another $25k to the prize.
Read the fan reactions to the incident here.