It was deja vu for Justin Tafa early at UFC 293, but this time he was able to continue and showcase his fight-finishing power.
On the main card of UFC 293 Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) stepped into the octagon to face NFL veteran Austen Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) again, but unlike their first meeting, he would land a devastating punch, leading to a TKO at 1:22 of Round 1.
The pair first faced each other in June, but Tafa was poked in the eye just 29 seconds into the fight and was unable to continue. As a result, the fight was ruled a no contest.
This time, fight started off in a familiar manner from the first meeting, as Lane extended his hands and accidentally poked Tafa. Luckily, the poke wasn’t a bad, and the fight continued after a short pause.
But when the fight resumed, it wouldn’t last much longer.
Tafa pressed forward as Lane attempted to circle and find his own space to land a shot. Lane darted forward while offering a punch, but Tafa loaded up on a big left hand that caught Lane flush on the chin, sending him crashing to the canvas. After a few follow-up punches, referee Jim Perdios jumped in to stop the action, and it was time for Tafa to do his dance.
JUSTIN TAFA IN ROUND 1 😱 #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/yDQesewG1y
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 10, 2023
The result marked three straight knockout victories for Tafa, as he continues to prove a dangerous finisher in the heavyweight division.
On the other side, Lane, a former Jacksonville Jaguar, walks away with a loss in what was officially his UFC debut.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 293 include:
- Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:22
- Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:12
- Carlos Ulberg def. Da Woon Jung via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:49
- Chepe Mariscal def. Jack Jenkins via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 3:19
- Jamie Mullarkey def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Landon Quinones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Charlie Radtke def. Blood Diamond via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Gabriel Miranda def. Shane Young via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:59
- Kevin Jousset def. Kiefer Crosbie via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:49
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
