Igor Severino embraces Hannibal Lecter gimmick in first fight after UFC suspension

Igor Severino is back. You may not remember his name per se, but one line will definitely refresh your memory: yes, he’s the guy suspended for biting his opponent Andre Lima during a UFC fight in March.

Severino returns to the cage Sunday to faces Jonas Magard at Oktagon 65 in Prague, Czech Republic. Magard is a former bantamweight champion in the organization and that could end up being a No. 1 contender bout, but Severino has more on the line than just victories and title shots.

Severino was “heartbroken” after a silly mistake that cost him a deal with the UFC and nine months away from action. Some wanted him to be banned altogether, and his social media was “flooded with hateful comments” and death threats. This fight represents a chance to move on from that, but not entirely.

The 21-year-old talent, whose DQ loss was his first defeat as a professional MMA fighter, believes that all publicity is good publicity. Oktagon also embraced that, referred to him as a “disgraced UFC star” when announcing the fight. This weekend, Severino will walk to the cage wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask.

“[The bite] became viral worldwide,” Severino told MMA Fighting. “News channels that had nothing to do with MMA were talking about it, so now I’m using that to my advantage. I have the mask, I’m having some fun — but it’s just a joke, that won’t happen again [laughs].”

The world of MMA has seen plenty of “Hannibals” already, including UFC welterweight veteran Claudio Silva. And “Cannibals”, too, like UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Severino wants a unique nickname related to the bite, so the Hannibal Lecter gimmick is just temporary. His opponent Magard is known as “Shark”, another obvious pun for this fight.

“We also have a ‘shark’ here,” said Severino, referring to UFC fighter and teammate Joanderson Brito, known as “Tubarão” (shark) in Brazil. “I’m used to training with sharks, so it’s all good. I’m at home. The real shark is here [laughs].”

Severino was handed a nine-month suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission, but that wouldn’t stop him from fighting sooner in Europe if he chose to. However, since he plans on maybe returning to the North American circuit in the future — possibly rejoining the UFC one day —, it made sense to sit and wait.

The Chute Boxe Joao Emilio bantamweight knocked out Jhonata Silva at Dana White’s Contender Series before his unforgettable UFC appearance, and said he never stopped training during the suspension nor contemplated retirement despite the online attacks.

“I wasn’t that affected by any of that, really,” Severino said. “People worried that I would want to stop [fighting] or something like that after being cut by the UFC, but I never considered it. I’ve learned a lot from all that. It helped me see who were by my side, and who was not.”

Severino said he’s “very confident” that a win Sunday earns him a shot at the belt which was left vacant after Felipe Lima left Oktagon to join the UFC. Magard, who lost the throne to Lima in July of 2023, went the distance in nine of his 23 MMA bouts and was finished in five of six defeats.

“He doesn’t go in there to put on a show or any of that,” Severino said of his opponent. “He talks a lot, he likes to promote his fights. I don’t like bring friendly with my opponents so I’ll be very comfortable with all that. And I’m not impressed by his game either. I won’t underestimate him, of course, but I believe I have more weapons than him. He’s very predictable.”