Justin Tafa gave Austen Lane an overdue receipt at UFC 293 on Saturday night, but not before dealing with some damaging deja vu.
Tafa was on the receiving end of one of the worst eye pokes in mixed martial arts history when he and Lane fought at a UFC Fight Night in June. Their first meeting came to an end after just 29 seconds with Tafa unable to continue. Fast forward to UFC 293 and Lane once again shoved a finger in Tafa's eye. Fortunately for Tafa, it was a far less severe this time and the fight continued.
But it didn't last long as Tafa caught Lane with a looping left hook that dropped Lane as he looked for the walkoff KO. When the referee did not immediate stop the action, Tafa added some brutal punches on the ground before it was finally called off.
The win marks Tafa's third straight with each coming by first-round knockout. In fact, all seven of Tafa's pro wins have come by knockout in the first or second round. Lane, meanwhile, suffered his first loss on the elite level after amassing a five-fight win streak on the regional scene and scoring a first-round TKO on Dana White's Contender Series.
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