UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa believes he deserves a win bonus after his fight against Austen Lane was declared a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke.
UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa doesn’t believe the correct decision was made when his fight with Austen Lane at UFC Jacksonville was declared a no-contest. Hours after the ruling, Tafa posted a picture of his injured eye on Twitter and called for justice. “I deserve my win bonus,” he wrote. “That’s a [disqualification] man.”
The match between Tafa and Lane was declared a no-contest just 29 seconds after the heavyweight contest started at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. During an exchange, Lane’s finger visibly went into Tafa’s left eye, causing him to double over in pain. Blood could be seen flowing from Tafa’s eye as a result of the poke. Referee Dan Miragliotta called the cageside doctor into the ring after asking Tafa if he was OK to continue. The doctor declined to clear Tafa for continuing, and the fight was called off.
The key point in the official result was Miragliotta’s determination that Lane’s eye poke was accidental. If it had been ruled intentional, Lane would have been disqualified. Tafa’s fellow fighters were quick to react to the gruesome fight-ending foul. Shortly after Tafa’s post, Lane responded to his opponent on Twitter, apologizing for the unfortunate incident. “Justin Tafa… I apologize,” he wrote. “Not how I wanted it to go down. That s*** is on me and I hope your eye is alright. To the city I call home. The energy you gave me as I was walking out will be something I’ll remember the rest of my life. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a show.” Lane, a former NFL defensive end, made his octagon debut at UFC Jacksonville after earning a contract on The Contender Series. He has a professional record of 12-3.