During the recent UFC event, a distressing incident occurred involving Tafa. In his fight against Austen Lane at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla., Tafa fell victim to a severe eye poke just 29 seconds into the match. It was one of the most flagrant eye pokes in the history of the UFC.
Referee Dan Miragliotta swiftly intervened and called for a timeout to address the situation. Lane received a warning for the foul, and Tafa was granted a five-minute recovery period. However, considering the extent of the damage, it was evident that the injury was severe and posed significant challenges.
One of the most brutal eye poke in the UFC ends the fight between Austen Lane and Justin Tafa 😢#UFCJacksonville
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) June 24, 2023
I deserve my Win bonus that’s a DQ man pic.twitter.com/CMNdW0ZUtL
— Justin Tafa (@justin_tafa) June 24, 2023
UFC Heavyweight Justin Tafa Escapes Serious Injury in Close Call
Around 48 hours later, Tafa took to social media to share an update, offering some relief to his fans. It appears that he has managed to avoid the worst-case scenario and is on the path to recovery.
“Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but both eyes did suffer some damage,” Tafa tweeted. “Right eye still in some pain, sensitive to light and blurred vision on the (left) but I thank God nothing that was going to end my career or cause serious damage to my eye.
“Thank you all for your concern.”
Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but both eyes did suffer some damage. Right eye still in some pain, sensitive to light and blurred vision on the but I thank God nothing that was going to end my career or cause serious damage to my eye.
Thank you all for your concern 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/NQawBFgxdp
— Justin Tafa (@justin_tafa) June 26, 2023
The fight between Austen Lane and Tafa took an unfortunate turn when an eye poke occurred just 29 seconds into the bout at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla. It was a disappointing outcome for both fighters, especially former Jacksonville Jaguar defensive end Lane, who was making his UFC debut in front of his former football fans.
Tafa, from Australia, was aiming to extend his winning streak to three and faced the setback of the eye poke. However, the good news is that despite the severity of the injury, it appears that Tafa has managed to avoid any long-term damage. This provides some relief and hope for his future in the sport.
Lane took to social media to express his thoughts on the situation and admitted that the outcome was not what he had hoped for. In his post, he expressed his disappointment with how things unfolded in the fight and conveyed his desire for a different outcome.
“Justin Tafa… I apologize. Not how I wanted it to go down,” Lane Tweeted. “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 show.”
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 show.
— Austen Lane (@A_Train_92) June 24, 2023
