Igor da Silva has been suspended nine months for biting Andre Lima during the bout at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23.
The 21-year-old Brazilian was also fined $2,000. The sanctions were announced during a Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting on Tuesday. Da Silva’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his fight, which means he would be eligible to return on Dec. 23.
During a previous commission meeting, Nevada deputy attorney general Matthew Feeley proposed a six-month term for da Silva, who is commonly known as Igor Severino. However, the commision rejected that proposal out of concern that a relatively short term might set a bad precedent for future incidents.