A rally car driver has denied biting off his girlfriend's earlobe, saying he only 'nipped' her so she would let go of his genitals.

Tristan Kent was hit with a string of charges including reckless grievous bodily harm, two counts of strangulation and possess a prohibited firearm after a fight with his girlfriend at his Mt Warrigal home in the Shellharbour region of NSW at the weekend.

The 29-year-old was refused bail at Wollongong Local Court, The Illawarra Star reported.

The court heard the pair had been drinking before Kent told an inappropriate joke, prompting his partner to start packing her things to leave before the fight broke out.

Tristan Kent has been hit with five charges after a fight with his girlfriend over an inappropriate joke

The court heard Kent grabbed his girlfriend by the throat and bit her right forearm, before leaving for his neighbour's house.

He returned at around midnight and the fight resumed, with Kent choking his girlfriend again, the court heard.

The woman told police she became 'dizzy' and thought that she would pass out.

She bit Kent's arm, and he allegedly bit her right ear, which court documents state caused 'a portion of her right helix to detach from the ear' and the 'upper helix split vertically toward the top of her ear'.

Kent's lawyers told the court he only 'nipped' her ear because she had grabbed his testicles.

The court was told a black 'Airsoft' pistol and ammunition police found in his home didn't work, and had been bought for $2 from Wish.

Kent broke down when he was denied bail by Magistrate Michael Stoddart, despite lawyers saying he needed bail to run his building business.

'These are very serious allegations and if he’s convicted it seems to me the likely result will be a custodial sentence,' Magistrate Stoddart said.

Kent will return to court later this month.