Pic: Tafa Shows Off Mangled Eye, Demands Win Bonus

Justin Tafa wants his money … all of it.

Tafa’s Heavyweight showdown with Austen Lane ended in a disappointing “No Contest” at UFC Jacksonville yesterday (Sat., June 24, 2023) inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena after Lane poked Tafa in the eye only 29 seconds into the first round.

Referee, Dan Miragliotta, tried to give Tafa the full five minutes to recover, but “Bad Man” revealed several times that he could not see, ultimately leading to the fight’s unceremonious end.

Once he got checked out in the locker room by doctors and UFC officials, Tafa tweeted a picture of his eye and said he deserved his win bonus.

“I deserve my win bonus,” Tafa wrote. “That’s a [disqualification] man.”

Unfortunately for Tafa, because Miragliotta determined that the eye poke was accidental, the fight was deemed a “No Contest” and not a disqualification. Meanwhile, a few hours later, Lane apologized to Tafa via social media.

“Justin Tafa … I apologize,” Lane said. “Not how I wanted it to go down. That s—t 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.”

UFC Jacksonville was Lane’s proper Octagon debut after receiving a UFC contract on season six of Dana White’s Contender Series by knocking out Richard Jacobi in the first round.

Depending on Tafa’s eye recovery, maybe the pair of Heavyweights can run it back at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, later this summer.

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For complete UFC Jacksonville results, coverage and highlights click HERE.