A stunning incident occurred recently in a Central Asian MMA bout, leaving fans shocked and officials scrambling for answers. During a high-stakes battle in the Octagon League—a promotion gaining a lot of traction in Central Asia—a fighter appeared to secure a rear-naked choke, forcing his opponent to submit. At first, it appeared to be a tidy submission. But replays soon revealed a totally different story, and an outcome similar to the one involving boxing legend, Mike Tyson.

As the video spread online, particularly on the renowned Instagram page Haymakers, fans noticed something very alarming. While executing the choke from the bottom position, the fighter appeared to bite his opponent’s ear, a clever technique that was mostly hidden from the referee’s view. As a result, the opponent finally taps out.

The celebration was short-lived. A comment from someone who claimed to have watched the full fight confirmed what many suspected. Following a review, the promotion officially reversed the decision, disqualified the fighter for the foul, and awarded the victory to his opponent.

“I watched this fight. He even tried to play it off and shake his head ‘no’ like he did nothing wrong and played to the crowd.’” The comment further revealed. The incident joins a long line of odd and unsportsmanlike moments in MMA.

And this time, the incident happened the Octagon League, which includes fighters from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The league has grown significantly on social media, with over 700,000 followers and a loyal audience tuning in for live-streamed events.

While the promotion is known for its rough fights and rising talent, incidents like this risk tarnishing its image. And unfortunately, biting isn’t new in MMA. In May 2023, Brazilian welterweight Thiago Oliveira bit Erkin Darmenov‘s ear during a fight at Octagon 44 in Kazakhstan. He, too, was disqualified.

In a more prominent case, in March 2024, UFC fighter Igor Severino was removed from the company for biting Andre Lima during a fight. But these still remain lesser known compared to what the icon Mike Tyson did against Evander Holyfield. In fact, fans couldn’t help but bring up the boxing legend in the comments.

Fans can’t help but remember Mike Tyson’s infamous highlight moment

Given the ridiculous nature of the foul, fans quickly recalled the most infamous bite in combat sports history—Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield. As Haymakers’ viral post had the caption, “New Technique Unlocked,” MMA fans swarmed the comments section with sarcastic nods to the boxing legend.

“That ain’t new; Mike did that years ago,” one wrote, dismissing the act as an old trick in the rule-breaking playbook. Another user added in with a punchy, “Aahhh ye old Tyson special,” while someone dubbed the rear-naked choke setup with a clean bite as “The Mike Tyson.”

While some found the situation amusing, others were outraged by what they saw as an unregulated act of cheating. The confusion was real; most fans were unaware that the promotion had already reversed the verdict and issued a disqualification. A comment read, “Bro bit the ear and pulled back for the sub 🤦‍♂️️. He got the win but should be DQ’d.”

Another cried in surprise, “Tell me that was a DQ?!” —while another doubled down: “Def should be a DQ; would’ve got up and rocked, buddy 😂.” There was a sense of injustice among fans, who assumed the biting fighter had walked away victorious without repercussions.

And then, of course, the responsibility of it all shifted to the referee, as it usually does. If there is an MMA scandal and the audience is unable to comprehend what occurred, the ref’s role is up for question. But in this case, he did deserve some blame. “FIRE that ref immediately. Absolutely shocking refereeing,” one user stated without doubt.

Another put it better than any replay could: “The ref is basically a fly on the wall at Golden Corral.” And the last nail in the coffin? “So two points to being bitten and a tap, and ref only saw one.” Fans saw this as more than just a bite. It was a complete collapse in officiating—and an ugly moment that somehow managed to be both surreal and all too familiar.