Austen Lane, former defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is set to make his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in June. Lane, who retired from football in 2015, signed with the UFC last year. He will be facing Justin Tafa at UFC Jacksonville on June 24th. Lane was drafted by the Jaguars in 2010 after playing college football at Murray State University.
Although Lane had brief stints with other NFL teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears, he couldn’t establish himself as a consistent starter and eventually retired from football. In recent years, the UFC signed former NFL players like Greg Hardy, who had two fights for Dana White’s Contender Series and competed in Xtreme Fight Night before signing with the UFC. However, Lane hopes to establish himself as a better fighter in the UFC than Hardy did.
Lane had ten fights in the UFC between 2019 and 2022 and finished with a record of 4-5, with one no-contest before his contract expired. His last two fights resulted in a TKO loss, and he signed a multi-fight contract with bare-knuckle fighting. Unfortunately, he lost his first fight earlier this year. Lane is now hoping to turn his luck around and make a name for himself in the UFC.
