There are some heavy hitters on deck for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event where a former NFL player will look to bounce back.
UFC Nashville sees Derrick Lewis seeking to extend his record for probably the most knockouts within the history of the promotion when he faces Tallison Teixeira.
Nevertheless, ‘The Black Beast’ isn’t the one competitor who has a robust track record for putting opponents away as Steve Garcia looks to take one step closer to the history books.
Within the second of three heavyweight bouts that can happen on the cardboard, a finish seems likely considering that each men have only ever gone to the scorecards 4 times combined.
Austen Lane suffered an enormous knockout loss last day trip but his appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series showed that he can rebound from adversity.
Austen Lane met fellow former NFL player Greg Hardy on Dana White’s Contender Series
Shortly after announcing his retirement from the NFL, Austen Lane made his amateur MMA debut and racked up five consecutive wins before turning pro in 2017.
The previous defensive end played for several NFL teams after being drafted to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010 having been a first-team All-American the 12 months previous.
After going 4-0 in his pro profession with all of his wins coming in the primary round, Lane appeared on the primary episode of season two of Dana White’s Contender Series.
His opponent also got here from an NFL background as he was matched up with former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys player Greg Hardy.
The controversial athlete was once a big player for the Panthers, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro accolades within the 2013 season before his profession declined because of domestic violence charges.
Once they met contained in the Octagon on June 12 of 2018, each men looked to land early bombs but Hardy had the ultimate say after connecting with an enormous right hand that spun his opponent around before a left sealed the deal.
Though he wasn’t immediately signed to the roster, Hardy did eventually make his technique to the UFC where he competed 10 times before the promotion selected to not re-sign him at the tip of his contract.
Austen Lane returned to Dana White’s Contender Series 4 years later and earned a contract
While his Dana White’s Contender Series debut didn’t go to plan, Austen Lane continued to achieve more experience by going 7-2 on the regional scene between July of 2018 and March of 2022.
A six-fight win and finish streak earned him one other shot on the show in week nine of season 6 where this time around, he earned a UFC contract by stopping Richard Jacobi with ruthless ground and pound.
Since then, Lane has gone 1-3-1 contained in the Octagon, meaning that he may very well be fighting for his UFC profession when he makes the walk on July 12.
The assignments don’t necessarily get any easier for him either as he draws the duty of welcoming Brazilian knockout artist Vitor Petrino as much as heavyweight.