Heavyweight standout Justin Tafa suffered one of the nastiest eye-pokes in recent memory, forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the bout a mere 29 seconds in at UFC Jacksonville.
Things started off fast and furious between Tafa and UFC debutant Austen Lane in their main card clash on Saturday. During the exchange that ultimately ended things early, Lane threw a big right hand which prompted Tafa to counter with a looping left over the top. In an attempt to defend, Lane raised his left hand, which was wide open, and appeared to get at least one knuckle deep into Tafa’s right eye. The bout was immediately paused, and Tafa was given a full five minutes in an attempt to recover, but during that time, his eye began to bleed and swell significantly.
Tafa repeatedly advised the cageside physician that he was unable to see, prompting the referee to call for the stoppage less than a minute into the matchup.
Official Result: Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane ruled a no-contest at 0:29 of Round 1 following an unintentional eye-poke.