NFL alum <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/austen-lane-8119/">Austen Lane</a> stepped into the octagon on Saturday night, ready to shock the world. He succeeded, but not in the way he hoped.



Lane’s <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/category/ufc/news/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UFC</a> debut lasted 29 seconds, but not because of a highlight knockout against opponent Justin Tafa. Instead, the former defensive end accidentally jabbed his finger into Tafa’s eye in an early exchange.



Doctors immediately checked on Tafa following the ugly accident. The 29-year-old UFC fighter said he could not see from the injured eye. The fight was ruled a no contest. Tafa was not happy with the ruling.



“I deserve my win bonus that’s a DQ man,” Tafa wrote on Twitter.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">One of the most brutal eye poke in the UFC ends the fight between Austen Lane and Justin Tafa 😢<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCJacksonville?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCJacksonville</a> <a href="https://t.co/lnGzKnni1N">pic.twitter.com/lnGzKnni1N</a>— Combat Sports Today 📰 (@CSTodayNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSTodayNews/status/1672703799188758531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Lane has had a successful mixed martial arts career despite a disappointing outcome in his UFC debut. The heavyweight brawler is 12-3 in his combat career. Even before turning his eyes toward the fight game, Lane wasn’t a stranger to violence.



In his four-year NFL career, Lane recorded 47 solo tackles and three sacks. Lane began his career in Jacksonville after the Jaguars drafted the Murray State star with the 153rd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.



After two years, the organization dropped Lane. The Wisconsin native drifted from team to team, hoping to find a home, but ultimately retired from football in 2015. Lane began his MMA career just months after his retirement announcement.



Lane isn’t the only former NFL player who’s tried their hand in the octagon. Former defensive end Greg Hardy has also found success in the MMA world. The two actually met in Hardy’s professional debut on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018.



Hardy knocked Lane out just 55 seconds <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXKE7TVJPGA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">into the bout</a> with a crushing overhand right. Lane returned to the show in 2022 and defeated his opponent to gain a UFC contract. Unfortunately, that contract wasn’t put to good use in Lane’s first fight.



After the no contest on Saturday, the 35-year-old fighter apologized to Tafa on Twitter.



“Justin Tafa… I apologize. Not how I wanted it to go down. That shit 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 wrote.

former-nfl-player-austen-lanes-ufc-debut-ends-30-seconds-into-first-round

5GOATs

Former NFL player Austen Lane's UFC debut ends 30 seconds into first round

team image

Pro News

NFL News

NFL Draft News

NASCAR

NBA News

NBA Draft News

Culture

Sports Betting

About

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

QB makes transfer committment

Darian Mensah

Way-Too-Early CFB prediction

2026 All-America Team

Final 2026 recruiting rankings

5-Star Countdown

Asks for Bediako judge recusal

NCAA files motion 

Canes add WR to transfer haul