UFC Jacksonville witnessed a gruesome accident that resulted in one of the most gruesome fouls in recent history. During a heavyweight match between Austen Lane and Justin Tafa, Lane accidentally poked Tafa’s eye just 29 seconds into the fight.

The incident drove Tafa’s eye deep and caused him to bleed profusely, leaving him unable to continue with the match. After consulting with the ringside doctor and referee Dan Miragliotta, the contest was concluded with a no-contest ruling due to Tafa’s injury.

The MMA community’s response to the event was, of course, full of shock and concern. Eric Nicksick and Brian BOOM Kelleher expressed fears that Tafa would lose his sight if he was not rushed to the hospital right away. Belal Muhammad concurred, commenting that the severity of Tafa’s injury necessitated an immediate trip to the hospital.

Casey O’Neill called Lane’s eye-poke “vicious,” while Erik Jon Koch added that it was the worst one he had seen in a long time. And even though Justin Tafa seemed to be in good spirits, indicating on social media that he would be claiming his win bonus as a disqualification, fans such as Terrance McKinney and Jared Vanderaa expressed their sympathy for him.

In conclusion, this unfortunate incident should serve as a reminder of the violent nature of UFC matches as well as the referees’ responsibility to ensure that the fighters are safe during matches.