SYDNEY – Justin Tafa gave up a walk-off knockout just so he wouldn’t risk losing out on a bonus.
After their first fight ended in a no contest just 29 seconds in at UFC on ESPN 5 in June, Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) knocked out Austen Lane in the first round this past Saturday at UFC 293.
Tafa dropped Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with an overhand left but wasn’t about to pay homage to his idol, Mark Hunt, as he usually does by walking off. Instead, he decided to follow Lane to the mat and land big ground-and-pound to get a more emphatic finish.
“When I seen him falling, I was going to walk off then I saw Mick Maynard in the corner of my eye, and I was like, ‘Not this time, bro,'” Tafa told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference. “I’m not going to get robbed of another 50K bonus. So, went in, had to put that ground-and-pound for the crowd to roar and definitely get that Performance of the Night.”
Tafa’s strategy worked as he was one of two fighters to earn the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. It took him four octagon knockouts to earn his first bonus and is content to continue fighting at home even if it means he has to wait a little.
“I would like another one in later this year, but I’ve heard some talk that the UFC is coming back to Australia early next year,” Tafa said. “So, I wouldn’t mind just upscaling some more and just really rounding up my game and making my case for that top 15. Easy.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
