"Ban him for life" - Fans react to resurfaced video of MMA fighter Thiago Oliveira pulling Mike Tyson-like ear bite to earn "dirty" submission win

Thiago Oliveira once executed a move reminiscent of Mike Tyson's infamous ear-bite to secure a controversial submission victory that divided spectators.

Last May, Oliveira faced off against Erkin Darmenov at Octagon 44 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, but the concluding moments of the fight were marred by an illegal sequence.

The contentious incident unfolded towards the end of the first round as the Brazilian delivered a questionable knee to Darmenov's groin, causing him to stumble against the cage. Oliveira swiftly seized the opportunity and transitioned to Darmenov's back, attempting a rear-naked choke.

However, in a flagrant breach of the rules, Oliveira resorted to biting Darmenov's ear, prompting the Kazakh fighter to signal to the referee. Despite the illicit move, 'Siriguela' persisted and successfully secured the chokehold from Darmenov's back.

Check out the video of Thiago Oliveira's illegal submission win against Erkin Darmenov below:

The video resurfaced on social media platforms recently, sparking an array of reactions from MMA fans.

One fan wrote:

"Disqualified and a suspension."

Another wrote:

"I hope after they watch this they overturn that decision."

Check out some more reactions below:

"Old school but dirty tactic."

"Ban him for life."

Credits: @fightinglabfl on Instagram

Shortly afterward, as 'Siriguela' repeatedly denied biting Darmenov's ear, 'Talgatuli' approached him with hostility, nearly sparking a brawl in the cage. However, Oliveira's celebration was brief. Upon reviewing the replay, which showed him executing the illegal move, Oliveira was disqualified, and Darmenov was rightfully declared the winner.

Check out the video of the entire sequence below (4:15:12):

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When Thiago Oliveira denied claims of biting Erkin Darmenov's ear

Thiago Oliveira refuted the allegation that he bit Erkin Darmenov's ear while executing a rear-naked choke in their bout.

During an interview with MMA Fighting last year, Oliveira asserted that the video unequivocally demonstrates that he did not bite his opponent's ear:

"If you watch the video, you’ll notice it never shows me biting him. I move closer to his ear so the rear-naked choke gets tight. There’s no point saying I didn’t bite him because everyone will draw their own conclusions, but watch the video, and you’ll see I didn’t bite him."

'Siriguela' further stated that resorting to illegal actions was unnecessary for him to secure victory. He also contended that the perceived bite was not the basis for his disqualification:

"Those who know me know I never needed anything like that to win. And I wouldn’t do something crazy like that now. He was about to give up anyway, I didn’t need to bite him...They didn’t disqualify me [for biting]. I said I wouldn’t continue, and then they disqualified me. Believe me if you want, and life goes on."