LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 18: (LR) Opponents Austin Lane and Robertis Despaignes of Cuba face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on October 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. do. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
He may be best remembered as one of Greg Hardy’s early MMA opponents, or from his own NFL days. But on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99, Austin Lane went into his fourth UFC fight looking for his first win against Olympian Robelis Despaignes.
Lane was technically 0-2 after his first fight with Justin Tafa ended in a no-contest after being accidentally poked in the eye. Still, he was in a must-win situation against Despaigne, who suffered the first loss of his mixed martial arts career against Waldo Cortez-Acosta.
Lane circled around the outside early on, and Despaignes patiently moved forward, looking for opportunities to attack. Instead, he got his legs caught and was thrown onto his back in mere seconds, allowing Austin Lane to settle into half guard and threaten a pass. Despaigne would at least regain full guard, but he would still sit upright with the lane on top. To his credit, Despaigne, who won a medal at the Taekwondo Olympics, got back to his feet, but Lane remained tattooed and eventually charged across the Octagon for a takedown, and Despaigne I tried to backpedal but couldn’t escape.
The first takedown attempt was repulsed, but with about a minute left Lane secured a takedown and went for an arm triangle choke. Lane was unable to secure position and switched to ground and pound, but Despaignes survived the round. Lane was going into the fight as the underdog, but someone apparently forgot to tell the American that.
Lane returned to a wrestling-based approach in the second round, but did not have as much success as he had in the first five minutes. Despaigne managed to keep the fight alive by stopping Lane from attempting a takedown against the fence. Late in the second frame, Despaigne connected up top and finally had a chance to make a move. In response, Lane moved forward and continued to attempt takedowns until he finally defeated Despaignes, with Lane himself also in mount.
Unfortunately for Lane, time ran out by the time he landed and the fight moved into the third and final round. So Despaigne kept his right hand cocked and used his left hand to jab and aim for the finish. While the second was close, Lane finished with a takedown. A little more than a minute into the third, he was back in position and exploded forward again, driving Despaigne into the cage. Despaigne remained standing and delivered a knee kick to Rahe, but Rahe recovered and continued to pursue. Despaigne started dropping elbows to the side of the head, but Lane found the strength he needed to pick Despaigne up and lay him on his back.
Lane fought half the rounds, but Roberis Despaignes was nowhere near the fence. He had his guard closed, but he also didn’t do much from his back in terms of creating space for submissions and scrambles. Lane didn’t look great, but he was effective enough through three rounds to leave little question as to who won in the card opener at UFC Vegas 99. Lane finished the fight on top and passed to mount, giving him one last shot at the finish before the bell.
Official result: Austin Lane def. Roberis Despaigne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
