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UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland continues on the main card with a rematch in the heavyweight division between Justin Tafa and Austen Lane. Tafa has won two fights in a row meanwhile, Lane has won six fights in a row coming into his promotional debut. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Tafa-Lane prediction and pick.
Justin Tafa (6-3) was just 29 seconds into his fight against Austen Lane at UFC Jacksonville before it got called off due to an inadvertent eye poke by Lane that had Tafa not be able to see out of his eye. Fortunately enough, the UFC was able to rebook this heavyweight banger but this time instead of it being in Lane's backyard it will be in Tafa's backyard in Australia this Saturday night at UFC 293.
Austen Lane (12-3) looked good in the early exchanges against Justin Tafa but that was easily overlooked after a very bad eye poke caused the fight to end in a no-contest before it really got going. Lane is still searching for that coveted UFC victory and this time he has to take a long trip to get it done when he takes on Justin Tafa in Sydney, Australia at UFC 293.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 293 Odds: Justin Tafa-Austen Lane Odds
Justin Tafa: -235
Austen Lane: +186
Over 1.5 Rounds: +175
Under 1.5 Rounds: -230
How to Watch Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
Article Continues Below
Why Justin Tafa Will Win
Justin Tafa is a rising star in the heavyweight division. He has a professional record of 6-3 and is known for his knockout power. Tafa has won all of his fights by knockout, which shows that he has the ability to end fights quickly. He is also a very aggressive fighter, which can be intimidating for his opponents.
In this matchup, he gets to go up against Austen Lane who is basically a kill-or-be-killed type of fighter. Lane has never seen the judge's scorecards win or lose and that is what is expected here come Saturday night. Lane possesses a height and reach advantage that could cause some troubles for the shorter in stature Tafa but it's not Tafa's first rodeo facing a much taller opponent in his combat sports career. If Tafa can land on the chin of Lane before he gets touched up it could be his third knockout in a row coming up.
Why Austen Lane Will Win
It took two tries but Austen Lane finally got the contract that he deserved after his second stint on the Contender Series. He knocked out Richard Jacobi in the first round which solidified his roster spot in the UFC. He was scheduled to fight Justin Tafa's brother Junior Tafa but he had to withdraw due to injury.
Fast forward four months later, Lane now gets to make his promotional debut against another Tafa brother. He already had a first crack at Tafa in the city where he played professional football, Jacksonville, Florida but that fight ended abruptly with an inadvertent eye poke. Now, he gets to take on Justin Tafa in a rematch in a brand new setting and this time it's in Tafa's backyard of Sydney, Australia. Lane is large for the division and has one-punch knockout power which will have to come in handy against another power puncher like Justin Tafa.
Final Justin Tafa-Austen Lane Prediction & Pick
This fight is going to be a battle between two heavy hitters. Both fighters have the power to end the fight with one punch, so it's going to be interesting to see who lands the first big shot. Lane will need to use his footwork and his long-range tools like his jab and kicks to avoid getting caught by Tafa's power shots. Meanwhile, Tafa will be looking to land those heavy calf kicks of his to immobilize the bigger and longer Austen Lane so that he can land his devastating power shots that could knock anyone's head off of their shoulders. It's going to be up to Tafa to be able to get around the height and reach discrepancies in this matchup against Lane but if he is able to navigate that he should keep his winning ways going.
Ultimately, much like the first encounter that lasted a whole 29 seconds, Lane will come out looking to get in the face of Tafa but utilizing his jab to keep at bay at the end of his punches but Tafa will start smashing the lead calf of Lane which will then make him stationary to where Tafa will be able to then open up and landing the big kill shot that ends Lane inside two rounds.
Final Justin Tafa-Austen Lane Prediction & Pick: Justin Tafa (-235), Under 2.5 Rounds (-230)
